Şeyda Polat

A study of wear of high-chromium cast iron under dry friction

The wear resistance of high-chromium cast iron is studied under conditions of dry friction after austenization at 1040°C for 5 h, wind cooling and double tempering at 540 and 250°C for 2 h. The wear tests are conducted in a ball-on-disc mode. The loss in the mass and the friction factor are determined as a function of the friction path.

Wear Behaviour of Heat Treated Hot Work Tool Steels under Dry Sliding Conditions

Abstract In this study, commercial hot work tool steels were selected and their wear behaviour under dry sliding condition was investigated after heat treatment applications. In the first stage of the study, solution annealing, quenching, and finally tempering treatments were applied to the experimental steels. All samples were examined by light microscopy after metallographic preparations. In the second stage, hardness values (HRC) of the steels were determined to evaluate the surface resistance to wear. Finally, wear tests were carried out using ‘ball-on-disc’ type tribometer under dry sliding condition and all worn surfaces were characterized using both light and scanning electron microscopy. It is concluded that (i) the steels had typical tempered martensite matrices, (ii) alloy content affected the final microstructure and a finer matrix was obtained due to vanadium addition, (iii) hardness levels directly affected the coefficient of wear of steels, and (iv) worn surfaces exhibited abrasive and adhesive wear tracks.

Wear Behaviour of Heat Treated 100Cr6 Steels

Abstract In this study, several heat treatments were applied to DIN 100Cr6 steel to obtain different matrices. In the first stage of the study, solution annealing treatment was applied to the steel and cooling was carried out in various media (furnace, oil, and salt bath). In order to eliminate the stresses after transformation from austenization, a low temperature tempering treatment was applied to the quenched samples. All heat treated samples were examined using light microscopy after metallographic preparations. In the second step, ‘ball-on-disc’ type tribometer was used to determine the friction coefficient of the steels depending on the matrix phase. Weight loss was recorded and the friction coefficient versus distance was plotted for each steel. Worn surfaces of the steels were examined using scanning electron microscopy to characterize the wear mechanisms. It turned out that (i) pearlitic, bainitic and martensitic matrices could be obtained depending on the cooling medium, (ii) martensitic matrix had higher wear resistance based on its weight loss, (iii) abrasive and adhesive wear tracks were present on the worn surfaces of the steels.

Effect of tempering temperature and microstructure on the corrosion behavior of a tempered steel

In this study, a tempered martensitic matrix was obtained in a low carbon steel, by applying austenization, quenching and tempering heat treatments. After austenization at 1000°C for 30 minutes, steel samples were quenched in water and then tempered at 200, 540 and 600°C for 30 minutes. Hardness measurements were done and then immersion tests were carried out in a 3.5 wt % NaCl solution for periods ranging between 1–7 days. Weight losses of the samples were determined after each immersion period and microstructural studies were performed on the corroded surfaces. Corrosion rates were calculated using weight loss data and verified by potentiodynamic tests. Results revealed that corrosion behavior of the experimental steels was directly affected by tempering temperature, hardness and microstructure.

Effect of matrix toughness and grain morphology on fracture of steels

The microstructure and fracture surfaces of steel X42 (type 09G2S) and of an experimental bainitic steel (0.23% C, 0.18% Mn, 0.04% Ni, 2.35% Co, 1.40% Cr, 0.50% Mo, 0.08% Nb, 0.08%V, 0.02% Ti) are studied after quenching and tempering. The influence of the toughness of the matrix on the fracture behavior of the steels is determined. It is shown that the fracture toughness changes depending on the tempering temperature, and the nucleation and propagation of cracks depends on the presence of secondary phases and on the morphology of the grain structure.

Effect of Single and Duplex Thin Hard Film Coatings on the Wear Resistance of 1.2343 Tool Steel

In aluminum extrusion process, tool steels used as die materials suffer from mechanical, thermal and tribological stresses causing plastic deformation, wear and heat checking during hot metal flow. Thin hard film coatings like TiN, (Ti,Al)N and CrN are preferred in order to improve the surface properties of the tools. These coatings can reduce the friction force, minimize the adhesive interaction between the die and billet pairs and decrease the plastic deformation of the tool. In this study, effect of single (CrN and AlTiN) and duplex (CrN + AlTiN) thin hard films on the hot wear behavior of DIN 1.2343 tool steel was investigated. Wear tests were performed both at room temperature and elevated temperature to simulate the conditions of aluminum extrusion process. Based on the evaluation of coefficient of friction values, specific wear rates and worn surface examinations, the duplex coating, which had the best performance in the RT wear test showed good resistance to high temperature wear under the simulated aluminum extrusion conditions.

Microstructural and mechanical characterization of the parabolic spring steel 51CrV4

Abstract Findings about the microstructural features of, spring steels are necessary for the producers to enhance their mechanical properties. There are several reports revealing the basic relation between microstructure and fatigue performance. However, the results are commonly obtained from universal test procedures and have limited use due to the lack of real service conditions. In this study, the microstructural features of 51CrV4 alloy, used as spring steel component, were investigated by metallographic examinations starting from raw material to the final product. Its fatigue behavior was investigated using a self-designed test machine and a test procedure approved by the automotive industry to simulate the service conditions. Fractographic examination of fatigue failed surface was carried out to specify the effect of microstructural features on the fracture. It was concluded that (i) both oxide and decarburization layers were minimized by shot peening and (ii) although tested samples had superior fatigue resistance and failed above 105 cycles limit, oxide layer played a major role for crack initiation.

Tribological behavior of CrN-coated Cr–Mo–V steels used as die materials

DIN 1.2343 and 1.2367 steels are commonly used as die materials in aluminum extrusion, and single/duplex/multi-coatings enhance their surface properties. The design of an appropriate substrate/coating system is important for improving the tribological performance of these steels under service conditions because the load-carrying capacity of the system can be increased by decreasing the plastic deformation of the substrate. In this study, the tribological behavior of CrN-coated Cr–Mo–V steels (DIN 1.2343, 1.2367, and 1.2999 grades) was investigated using different setups and tribological pairs at room and elevated temperatures. The aim of this study was to reveal the wear resistance of a suggested system (1.2999/CrN) not yet studied and to understand both the wear and the failure characteristics of coated systems. The results showed that (i) among the steels studied, the DIN 1.2999 grade steel exhibited the lowest friction coefficient because it had the highest load-carrying capacity as a result of secondary hardening at elevated temperatures; (ii) at room temperature, both abrasive tracks and adhesive layers were observed on the worn surfaces; and (iii) a combination of chemical reactions and progressive oxidation caused aluminum adhesion on the worn surface, and the detachment of droplets and microcracking were the characteristic damage mechanisms at high temperatures.

A case study of a stress corrosion cracking failure in an AA5083 mold material used for curing rubber compounds

In this study the failure analysis of an AA5083 mold material, used for curing rubber compounds, was carried out. The problem revealed itself as the formation of bubbles on the mold surface during curing process and caused quality problems in the final product. Preliminary microanalysis studies showed that there was an accumulation of both Mg and Cl in the bubble. Several samples were taken out from the inner/outer part of the mold material and examined using scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer. It was concluded that (i) the contamination by Cl ions was due to the cutting oil used to open vent holes during mold cleaning, (ii) the outer part of mold material had finer α-Al grains whereas the inner part in contact with the compound had coarse grains due to the thermal effect of curing process, (iii) β-phase (Al3Mg2) formed at the grain boundaries after a sufficient exposure to temperatures above 50°C, (iv) the grain boundaries had Mg-rich phase showing anodic behavior, while the grains had Al-rich phase showing cathodic behavior, (v) the cracks initiated and propagated through the grain boundaries as stress corrosion cracking which resulted in the separation of grains and the accumulation of gases appeared as bubbles due to thermo-mechanical aging and effects of corrosive medium.

Determination of the Microstructure of Powder Tool Steels by Different Etching Techniques

The microstructure of three powder high-speed steels is studied in quenched and tempered conditions by methods of light and scanning electron microscopy. Several types of carbides with different morphology are detected by using various methods of etching of specimens. The composition of the carbide phases is determined by the method of energy dispersive local analysis.