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Correlation of the Effects of Alloying Elements on the Hardenability of Steels to the Diffusion Coefficients of Elements in Fe

Received: 21 June 2017     Accepted: 5 July 2017     Published: 17 July 2017
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Abstract

The effects of various alloying elements on the hardenability of steels are known experimentally, but the reasons for these effects are not well understood. In this work, the upper critical cooling rate was selected as the index of hardenability. Changes in the upper critical cooling rate of steel caused by the presence of alloying elements and the diffusion coefficients of those elements in the ã-phase of Fe, plotted on thermal conductivity–Young’s modulus diagrams, showed similar patterns. The correlation between these factors was studied. Good correlation was found: the upper critical cooling rate decreased linearly with increasing diffusion coefficient of the alloying element in the ã-phase, i.e., the hardenability increased. It is considered that a large diffusion coefficient of an alloy element in the ã-phase increases its entropy and, on cooling, thermodynamically stabilizes the ã-phase, thereby preventing its transformation to the á-phase and retaining the ã-phase at a lower temperature, which consequently favors martensitic transformation even at low cooling rates.

Published in International Journal of Materials Science and Applications (Volume 6, Issue 4)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijmsa.20170604.16
Page(s) 200-206
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2017. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Hardenability, Steel, Diffusion Coefficient, Young’s Modulus, Thermal Conductivity

References
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[3] Japan Institute of Metals, Metals Data Book, 3rd ed., Maruzen, Tokyo, 1993, pp. 36-43.
[4] Y. Mae, “What the Darken-Gurry plot means about the solubility of elements in metals,” Metall. Mater. Trans. A, vol. 47, pp. 6498-6506, 2016.
[5] S. Tawara, “The effects of alloying elements on the hardenability of steels”, Tetsu-to-Hagane (Iron and Steel), vol. 23, p. 875-909, 1937.
[6] M. Tanino and S. Suzuki, Science of Steel, Uchida-Roukakluho, Tokyo, 2001, p. 105.
[7] The Iron and Steel Institute of Japan, Handbook of Iron and Steel, 3rd ed. vol. 1, Maruzen, Tokyo, 1981, p. 415.
[8] K. Monnma, Ferrous Materials, Jikkyo-publishing, Tokyo, 1981, p. 242.
[9] I. Tamura, Ferrous Materials, Asakura Book-Store, Tokyo, 1981, p. 66.
[10] N. Masahasi, News Letter 25, Kansai Center for Industrial Materials Research Institute for Materials Research , Tohoku Univ., Osaka, 2013, p. 3.
[11] Japan Institute of Metals, Metals Data Book, 4th ed., Maruzen, Tokyo, 2004, pp. 20-25.
[12] J. H. Hollomon, and L. D. Jaffe, “The hardenability concept,” Trans. AIME, vol. 167, pp. 601-616, 1946.
[13] K. Monnma, Ferrous Materials, Jikkyo -publishing, Tokyo, 1981, p. 250.
[14] T. Kasuya, and N. Yurioka, “Carbon equivalent and multiplying factor for hardenability of steel,” Weld. J., vol. 72, pp. 263-268, 1993.
[15] Japan Institute of Metals: Metals Data Book, 3rd ed., Maruzen, Tokyo, 1993, p. 153.
[16] H. K. D. H. Bhadeshia and R. W. K. Honeycombe, Steels: Microstructure and Properties, 3rd ed., Elsevier, Oxford, 2006, p167.
[17] R. Tanaka, Dictionary of Metallic Materials, Asakura Book-store, Tokyo, 1990, pp. 440-442.
[18] H. K. D. H. Bhadeshia and R. W. K. Honeycombe, Steels: Microstructure and Properties, 3rd ed., Elsevier, Oxford, 2006, pp. 176-179.
[19] The Iron and Steel Institute of Japan, Handbook of Iron and Steel, 5th ed. vol. 3, Maruzen, Tokyo, 2014, pp. 159-162.
[20] G. E. Totten, Steel Heat Treatment, 2nd. ed. Taylor & Francis, N. Y., 2006, pp. 195-196.
[21] I. Tamura, Ferrous Materials, Asakura Book-store, Tokyo, 1981, p. 74.
[22] G. E. Totten, Steel heat treatment, 2nd. Ed. Taylor & Francis, N. Y., 2006, p. 176-177.
[23] R. A. Grange, “Estimating the hardenability of carbon steel,” Metall. Trans. 4, pp. 2231-2244, 1973.
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  • APA Style

    Yoshiharu Mae. (2017). Correlation of the Effects of Alloying Elements on the Hardenability of Steels to the Diffusion Coefficients of Elements in Fe. International Journal of Materials Science and Applications, 6(4), 200-206. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijmsa.20170604.16

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    ACS Style

    Yoshiharu Mae. Correlation of the Effects of Alloying Elements on the Hardenability of Steels to the Diffusion Coefficients of Elements in Fe. Int. J. Mater. Sci. Appl. 2017, 6(4), 200-206. doi: 10.11648/j.ijmsa.20170604.16

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    AMA Style

    Yoshiharu Mae. Correlation of the Effects of Alloying Elements on the Hardenability of Steels to the Diffusion Coefficients of Elements in Fe. Int J Mater Sci Appl. 2017;6(4):200-206. doi: 10.11648/j.ijmsa.20170604.16

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijmsa.20170604.16,
      author = {Yoshiharu Mae},
      title = {Correlation of the Effects of Alloying Elements on the Hardenability of Steels to the Diffusion Coefficients of Elements in Fe},
      journal = {International Journal of Materials Science and Applications},
      volume = {6},
      number = {4},
      pages = {200-206},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijmsa.20170604.16},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijmsa.20170604.16},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijmsa.20170604.16},
      abstract = {The effects of various alloying elements on the hardenability of steels are known experimentally, but the reasons for these effects are not well understood. In this work, the upper critical cooling rate was selected as the index of hardenability. Changes in the upper critical cooling rate of steel caused by the presence of alloying elements and the diffusion coefficients of those elements in the ã-phase of Fe, plotted on thermal conductivity–Young’s modulus diagrams, showed similar patterns. The correlation between these factors was studied. Good correlation was found: the upper critical cooling rate decreased linearly with increasing diffusion coefficient of the alloying element in the ã-phase, i.e., the hardenability increased. It is considered that a large diffusion coefficient of an alloy element in the ã-phase increases its entropy and, on cooling, thermodynamically stabilizes the ã-phase, thereby preventing its transformation to the á-phase and retaining the ã-phase at a lower temperature, which consequently favors martensitic transformation even at low cooling rates.},
     year = {2017}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Correlation of the Effects of Alloying Elements on the Hardenability of Steels to the Diffusion Coefficients of Elements in Fe
    AU  - Yoshiharu Mae
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    DO  - 10.11648/j.ijmsa.20170604.16
    T2  - International Journal of Materials Science and Applications
    JF  - International Journal of Materials Science and Applications
    JO  - International Journal of Materials Science and Applications
    SP  - 200
    EP  - 206
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2327-2643
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijmsa.20170604.16
    AB  - The effects of various alloying elements on the hardenability of steels are known experimentally, but the reasons for these effects are not well understood. In this work, the upper critical cooling rate was selected as the index of hardenability. Changes in the upper critical cooling rate of steel caused by the presence of alloying elements and the diffusion coefficients of those elements in the ã-phase of Fe, plotted on thermal conductivity–Young’s modulus diagrams, showed similar patterns. The correlation between these factors was studied. Good correlation was found: the upper critical cooling rate decreased linearly with increasing diffusion coefficient of the alloying element in the ã-phase, i.e., the hardenability increased. It is considered that a large diffusion coefficient of an alloy element in the ã-phase increases its entropy and, on cooling, thermodynamically stabilizes the ã-phase, thereby preventing its transformation to the á-phase and retaining the ã-phase at a lower temperature, which consequently favors martensitic transformation even at low cooling rates.
    VL  - 6
    IS  - 4
    ER  - 

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  • Maetech, Mimuro, Midori Ward, Saitama City, Japan

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