EFFECTS OF VARIOUS HEAT TREATMENT PROCEDURES ON THE TOUGHNESS OF AISI 4140 LOW ALLOY STEEL

Year 2020, Volume: 3 Issue: 2, 131 - 149, 31.12.2020

Mustafa Melih Tecer

Abstract

In this paper, through literature search, effects of various heat treatment procedures on toughness of commercially available AISI 4140 low alloy steel were investigated. Variables affecting a material’s mechanical properties were discussed briefly and details of AISI 4140 steel were delivered. Different heat-treating routes and approaches from various reports were considered and compared. Utilizing a materials properties database, a number of reported results were gathered and discussed. An effort has been put into keeping all the variables affecting the results constant other than heat treatment procedures for the purpose of observing only the effects of those procedures. Double quenching and tempering in the range of 600-900℃ as well as full annealing at around 860℃ were found to be resulting with the highest toughness values. A proposal was also made for furtherly improving the toughness values of these heat-treated samples.

Keywords

Heat Treatment, Maximum Toughness, AISI 4140 Steel

References

• NDT Resource Center. [Online] 06 25, 2020. https://www.nde-ed.org/EducationResources/CommunityCollege/Materials/Mechanical/Toughness.htm#:~:text=Therefore%2C%20one%20way%20to%20measure,of%20energy%20by%20the%20material.
• ASTM Standard A29/A29M. Standard Specification for General Requirements for Steel Bars, Carbon and Alloy, Hot-Wrought. s.l. : ASTM International, 2017.
• 4140HW Alloy Steel Technical Data. [Online] [Cited: April 25, 2020.] http://www.timkensteel.com/~/media/4140HW_Brochure_July2015_Update.
• AISI 4140 Alloy Steel (UNS G41400). AZOM. [Online] [Cited: June 25, 2020.] https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=6769.
• Yuan, Lu. Heat Transfer, Hardenability And Steel Phase Transformations During Gas Quenching.
• McPherson, Omari. Grain Growth in AISI 4140 Steel. s.l. : Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2008.
• Temper Embrittlement. Total Materia. [Online] May 2003. [Cited: June 25, 2020.] https://www.totalmateria.com/page.aspx?ID=CheckArticle&site=kts&NM=102.
• Effect of Tempering Conditions on Secondary Hardening of Carbides and Retained Austenite in Spray-Formed M42 High-Speed Steel. Liu, Bowen, et al. Basel : Materials, 2019, Vol. 12(22) 3714.
• R., Habarakada H. M. Martempering and Austempering of Steel. 2007. 060150L.
• Herring, Daniel H. The Importance of Normalizing. Forge Mag. [Online] April 8, 2011. [Cited: June 26, 2020.] https://www.forgemag.com/articles/83798-the-importance-of-normalizing.
• The effect of single and double quenching and tempering heat treatments on the microstructure and mechanical properties of AISI 4140 steel. Sanij, Khani, et al. 42, s.l. : Elsevier, 2012.
• Crack growth behaviour of heat-treated 4140 steel in air and gaseous hydrogen. Chuang, J H, Tsayt, L W and Chen, C. 20, s.l. : Elsevier, 1998.
• Abdel Wahab, Alaa, El-Guishi Mokhtar and Mazen, Asaad. Effect of Heat Treatment on the Fracture Toughness of AISI 4140 Steel. Department of Production Engineering & Design Faculty of Engineering, Minia University. s.l. : Minia Journal of Engineering and Technology, 2014.
• MatWeb Database. MatWeb 4140 Property Database. MatWeb Material Property Data. [Online] [Cited: June 27, 2020.] http://www.matweb.com/search/QuickText.aspx?SearchText=4140.
• One Minute Mentor: Secondary Hardening in Tool Steels. ASM International. [Online] ASM International, Jan 22, 2016. [Cited: June 25, 2020.] https://www.asminternational.org/web/hts/news/newswire/-/journal_content/56/10192/26120368/NEWS.