Nanoindentation-Based Micro-Mechanical and Electrochemical Properties of Quench-Hardened, Tempered Low-Carbon Steel

The nanoindentation technique is widely used to measure the micro-scale mechanical properties of various materials. Herein, the nanoindentation-based micro-mechanical and electrochemical properties of low-carbon steel were investigated after quench hardening and tempering processes. The steel was pr...

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Published inCrystals (Basel) Vol. 10; no. 6; p. 508
Main Authors ArslanHafeez, Muhammad, Usman, Muhammad, Arshad, Muhammad Adnan, AdeelUmer, Malik
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.06.2020
Subjects
Construction
Cooling
Corrosion resistance
Electrochemical analysis
Electrodes
Heat treatment
indentation hardness
Laboratories
Low carbon steel
Low carbon steels
Martensite
Mechanical properties
Microstructure
Modulus of elasticity
Morphology
Nanoindentation
Quench hardening
Raw materials
Saline water
Stiffness
Tempering
United States > US
Japan
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Summary:The nanoindentation technique is widely used to measure the micro-scale mechanical properties of various materials. Herein, the nanoindentation-based micro-mechanical and electrochemical properties of low-carbon steel were investigated after quench hardening and tempering processes. The steel was produced on a laboratory scale and subjected to quench hardening separately in two different media-water and brine (10 wt% NaCl)-and subsequent moderate temperature tempering. Microstructure analysis revealed that the lath martensite phase formed after all heat treatments, having different carbon percentages ranging from 0.26% to 0.58%. A ferrite phase was also observed in the microstructure in three different morphologies, i.e., allotriomorphic ferrite, idiomorphic ferrite, and Widmanstätten ferrite. Nanoindentation analysis showed that the brine quench hardening process provided a maximum twofold improvement in indentation hardness and a 51% improvement in stiffness with a 30% reduction in reduced elastic modulus compared with as-received steel. Electrochemical performance was also evaluated in a 1% HNO3 solution. The water quench-hardened and tempered sample exhibited the highest corrosion resistance, whereas the brine quench-hardened sample exhibited the lowest corrosion resistance among all heat-treated samples.
ISSN:2073-4352
2073-4352
DOI:10.3390/cryst10060508