• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.13-23
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• 1988

The hardenability of alloyed ductile cast irons was studied for 54 different alloy compositions obtained from eight commercial and laboratory foundries. The alloying elements investigated for their effects on hardenability were Si(2.0 to 3.0%), Mn(0.0 to 0.8%), Mo(0.0 to 0.6%), Cu(0.0 to 1.5%), and Ni(0.0 to 1.5%). Two hardenability criteria, a first-pearlite hardenability criterion and a half-hard hardenability criterion, were used to determine hardenability of ductile irons. Prediction models for each hardenability criterion were developed by multiple regression analysis and were well agreed with previous experimental results. Molybdenum was the most potent hardenability promoting element followed by manganese, copper and nickel ; silicon had little effect on hardenability and reduced the hardenability as silicon content increased. When alloying elements were presented in combination, strong synergistic effects on the hardenability were observed especially between molybdenum, copper and nickel. The hardenability of ductile iron was strongly influenced by austenitizing temperature. Increasing austenitizing temperature up to $955^{\circ}C$, hardenability increased gradually but decreasing rate and then decreased as temperature increased above $955^{\circ}C$. Unless reducing segregation by very long-time annealing treatment, the hardenability of ductile iron was not significantly influenced by segregation of alloying elements.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.40-46
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• 1989

The hardenability of steel is related to its chemical composition. About this relationship, multiple regression analysis of hardenability data was proposed to explain the effect of chemical composition on a hardenability of steel. To establish the formula for calculation hardenability, given hardenability curve(U.S.S. Atlas) were quantitatively analyzed by multiple regression analysis program of computer. The established hardenability model was applied to predict the hardenability of commercial steel fair well. The effect of chemical composition was also expressed quantitatively.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.24 no.9
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• pp.488-494
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• 2014

The effect of tungsten (W) addition on the hardenability of low-carbon boron steels was investigated using dilatometry, microstructural observations and secondary ion mass spectroscopy. The hardenability was discussed with respect to transformation behaviour aspects depending on the segregation and precipitation of boron at austenite grain boundaries. A critical cooling rate producing a hardness corresponding to 90 % martensite structure was measured from a hardness distribution plot, and was used as a criterion to estimate hardenability at faster cooling rates. In the low-carbon boron steel, the addition of 0.50 wt.% W was comparable to that of 0.20 wt.% molybdenum in terms of critical cooling rate, indicating hardenability at faster cooling rates. However, the addition of 0.50 wt.% W was not more effective than the addition of .0.20 wt.% molybdenum at slower cooling rates. The addition of 0.20 wt.% molybdenum completely suppressed the formation of eutectoid ferrite even at the slow cooling rate of $0.2^{\circ}C/s$, while the addition of 0.50 wt.% W did not, even at the cooling rate of $1.0^{\circ}C/s$. Therefore, it was found that the effect of alloying elements on the hardenability of low-carbon boron steels can be differently evaluated according to cooling rate.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.241-247
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• 2013

Hardenability and mechanical properties of boron-bearing steels containing C, Mo and Cr were investigated in this study. Using quench dilatometer, the steel specimens were cooled down to room temperature at different cooling rates to construct continuous cooling transformation diagrams and then the transformation products from austenite were examined. A critical cooling rate was introduced as an index to quantitatively evaluate the hardenability. The C addition to boron-bearing steels did not significantly affect hardenability compared to boron-free steels although it increases the hardenability. With the same content, the Mo addition largely increased the hardenability of boron-bearing steels than the Cr addition because it decreased both the transformation start and finish temperatures at low cooling rates. In particular, the Mo addition completely suppressed the formation of eutectoid ferrite even at the slow cooling rate of $0.2^{\circ}C/s$, whereas the Cr addition nearly suppressed it at the cooling rates above $3^{\circ}C/s$.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.315-322
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• 2010

Effect of hardenability, grain size and microstructural change according to the change of austenitizing temperature was analyzed in Jominy hardenability test of AISI 51B20 steel. Grain growth was small, 7 ${\mu}m$ and 12 ${\mu}m$ austenite grain sizes at austenitizing temperature of $900^{\circ}C$ and $1000^{\circ}C$, respectively, while rapid grain growth was observed up to 30 ${\mu}m$ austenite grain size at austenitizing temperature of $1100^{\circ}C$. As austenitizing temperature increased from $900^{\circ}C$ to $1100^{\circ}C$, hardenability in the region within 15 mm from end-quenched surface decreased due to the grains growth of bainite and martensite mixture, on the other hand the hardenability in the region exceeding 15 mm from end-quenched surface increased. Increased hardenability was attributed to different microstructures; pearlite, fine pearlite and bainite, and bainite and martensite structures at austenitizing temperature of $900^{\circ}C$, $1000^{\circ}C$ and $1100^{\circ}C$, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.23 no.10
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• pp.555-561
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• 2013

The hardenability of low-carbon boron steels with different molybdenum and chromium contents was investigated using dilatometry, microstructural observations and secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), and then discussed in terms of the segregation and precipitation behaviors of boron. The hardenability was quantitatively evaluated by a critical cooling rate obtained from the hardness distribution plotted as a function of cooling rate. It was found that the molybdenum addition was more effective than the chromium addition to increase the hardenability of boron steels, in contrast to boron-free steels. The addition of 0.2 wt.% molybdenum completely suppressed the formation of eutectoid ferrite, even at the slow cooling rate of $0.2^{\circ}C/s$, while the addition of 0.5 wt.% chromium did this at cooling rates above $3^{\circ}C/s$. The SIMS analysis results to observe the boron distribution at the austenite grain boundaries confirmed that the addition of 0.2 wt.% molybdenum effectively increased the hardenability of boron steels, as the boron atoms were significantly segregated to the austenite grain boundaries without the precipitation of borocarbide, thus retarding the austenite-to-ferrite transformation compared to the addition of 0.5 wt.% chromium. On the other hand, the synergistic effect of molybdenum and boron on the hardenability of boron steels could be explained from thermodynamic and kinetic perspectives.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.25 no.11
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• pp.577-582
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• 2015

The present study is concerned with the influence of niobium(Nb) addition and austenitizing temperature on the hardenability of low-carbon boron steels. The steel specimens were austenitized at different temperatures and cooled with different cooling rates using dilatometry; their microstructures and hardness were analyzed to estimate the hardenability. The addition of Nb hardly affected the transformation start and finish temperatures at lower austenitizing temperatures, whereas it significantly decreased the transformation finish temperature at higher austenitizing temperatures. This could be explained by the non-equilibrium segregation mechanism of boron atoms. When the Nb-added boron steel specimens were austenitized at higher temperatures, it is possible that Nb and carbon atoms present in the austenite phase retarded the diffusion of carbon towards the austenite grain boundaries during cooling due to the formation of NbC precipitate and Nb-C clusters, thus preventing the precipitation of $M_{23}(C,B)_6$ along the austenite grain boundaries and thereby improving the hardenability of the boron steels. As a result, because it considerably decreases the transformation finish temperature and prohibits the nucleation of proeutectoid ferrite even at the slow cooling rate of $3^{\circ}C/s$, irrespective of the austenitizing temperature, the addition of 0.05 wt.% Nb had nearly the same hardenability-enhancing effect as did the addition of 0.2 wt.% Mo.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.25 no.9
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• pp.497-502
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• 2015

The hardenability of boron steel specimens with different molybdenum and chromium contents was investigated using dilatometry and microstructural observations, and then was quantitatively measured at a critical cooling rate corresponding to 90 % martensite hardness obtained from a hardness distribution plotted as a function of cooling rate. Based on the results, the effect of an austenitizing temperature on the hardenability and tensile properties was discussed in terms of segregation and precipitation behavior of boron atoms at austenite grain boundaries. The molybdenum addition completely suppressed the formation of pro-eutectoid ferrite even at the slowest cooling rate of $0.2^{\circ}C/s$, while the chromium addition did at the cooling rates above $3^{\circ}C/s$. On the other hand, the hardenability of the molybdenum-added boron steel specimens decreased with an increasing austenitizing temperature. This is associated with the preferred precipitation of boron atoms since a considerable number of boron atoms could be concentrated along austenite grain boundaries by a non-equilibrium segregation mechanism. The secondary ion mass spectroscopy results showed that boron atoms were mostly segregated at austenite grain boundaries without noticeable precipitation at higher austenitization temperatures, while they formed as precipitates at lower austenitization temperatures, particularly in the molybdenum-added boron steel specimens.

• Journal of Power System Engineering
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.76-82
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• 1999

This study presents a methodology to predict the hardenability of quenched carbon steels. The equation of transient heat conduction is analyzed to formulate a cooling curve by a finite element method which incorperates coupled effects of temperature on physical properties, the metallic structures and also the latent heat by phase transformation. The volume traction of martensite and pearlite are the structural analysis for hardenability analysis. In order to demonstrate the feasibility of adopting a full quench model respectively. This procedure could be used as the database for optimal condition of heat treatment processes.

• Journal of the korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.40-48
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• 1990

Bake hardenability of batch annealed steel sheets is investigated in connection with the amount of tensile deformation and the bake hardening condition. This study associates with the method for producing bake hardening materials by means of batch annealing process and for measuring bake hardenability which is not yet fully established. The experimental result demonstrates the relationship between strain distribution and bake hardening behavior in various bake hardening conditions, which provides an essential information for automobile design and related sheet metal forming in a press shop. The result also shows the bake hardenability of the tested material increases as the baking temperature is increased from 150.deg. C. The result assures the bake hardening materials can guarantee reasonably high strength as well as good uniformity in yield strength for the automobile body by sheet metal forming process.