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Investigations on the Effect of Cooling Rate on Quenching & Partitioning (Q&P) in Martensitic Stainless Steels

  • S. Kresser EMAIL logo , R. Schneider , H. Zunko and C. Sommitsch
Published/Copyright: August 23, 2023
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HTM Journal of Heat Treatment and Materials
From the journal HTM Journal of Heat Treatment and Materials Volume 78 Issue 4

Abstract

Quenching and partitioning (Q&P) is a heat treatment used to adjust the retained austenite content in the microstructure. Such heat treatment is used mainly for low-alloyed steels. However, the partitioning effect has an influence on higher alloyed steels also, such as martensitic stainless steels. The typical heat treatment for these steels is quenching and tempering (Q&T). In large-scale tools the cooling rate in the inner area is lower than in the peripheral area, and the central region of the tool might not be cooled down completely to room temperature before the tempering step takes place, resulting in a Q&P instead of a Q&T treatment.

This article deals with these effects through dilatometric investigation of steels X40Cr14, “X25CrN13” and “X50CrMoN17-1” at two different austenitizing temperatures and two cooling rates, with a variation of the quenching temperature. It was found that partitioning takes place even at slow cooling rates. However, due to partial pearlite formation and pre-carbide precipitation/coarsening, the retained austenite content may be lower than with rapid cooling. Further, autopartitioning was also detected at slow cooling rates.

Kurzfassung

Quenching and Partitioning (Q&P) ist eine Wärmebehandlung zur Einstellung des Restaustenitgehalts im Gefüge. Eine solche Wärmebehandlung wird hauptsächlich bei niedrig legierten Stählen angewandt. Der Partitioningseffekt wirkt sich jedoch auch auf höher legierte Stähle aus, wie z. B. martensitische nichtrostende Stähle. Die typische Wärmebehandlung für diese Stähle ist das Vergüten (Q&T). Bei großen Werkzeugen ist die Kühlrate im inneren Bereich geringer als im Randbereich und der innere Bereich des Werkzeugs wird möglicherweise nicht vollständig auf Raumtemperatur abgekühlt, bevor der Anlassschritt stattfindet, was zu einer Q&P- statt einer Q&T-Behandlung führt.

Dieser Artikel befasst sich mit diesen beiden Effekten, dazu wurden dilatometrische Untersuchungen der Stähle X40Cr14, „X25CrN13“ und „X50CrMoN17-1“ bei zwei verschiedenen Austenitisierungstemperaturen, zwei Kühlraten und unterschiedlichen Abschrecktemperaturen durchgeführt. Es wurde festgestellt, dass die Umverteilung auch bei langsamen Kühlraten stattfindet. Aufgrund der teilweisen Perlitbildung und der Ausscheidung/Vergröberung von Vorkarbid kann der Restaustenitgehalt jedoch geringer sein als bei schneller Abkühlung. Darüber hinaus wurde auch bei langsamen Kühlraten ein „Autopartitioning“ festgestellt.

Keywords: Martensitic stainless steels; partitioning; retained austenite; dilatometry; different cooling rates; autopartitioning
Schlüsselwörter: Martensitische nichtrostende Stähle; Kohlenstoff-/Stickstoffumverteilung; Restaustenit; Dilatometrie; unterschiedliche Kühlraten; Autopartitioning

* Lecture held by Simona Kresser at the IFHTSE/ECHT 2022, 5.–8. September 2022 in Salzburg, Austria

Acknowledgment

The authors gratefully acknowledge the funding of the project by voestalpine Böhler Edelstahl GmbH & Co KG.

Danksagung

Die Autoren bedanken sich für die Finanzierung des Projekts seitens der voestalpine Böhler Edelstahl GmbH & Co KG.

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Published Online: 2023-08-23
Published in Print: 2023-08-30

© 2023 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston, Germany

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  1. Contents
  2. Investigations on Case Hardening of an Additive Manufactured Steel 20MnCr5 (via PBF-LB/M)
  3. Continuous Cooling Transformation Diagram of Case Hardening Steel by Instrumented Jominy Test
  4. Investigations on the Effect of Cooling Rate on Quenching & Partitioning (Q&P) in Martensitic Stainless Steels
  5. The Hydrogen Challenge: Requirements for Future Materials
  6. Imprint / Impressum
  7. Imprint / Impressum
  8. From and for Practice / Praxis-Informationen
  9. AWT-Info / HTM 04-2023
  10. HTM Praxis
https://doi.org/10.1515/htm-2023-0010
Keywords for this article
Martensitic stainless steels; partitioning; retained austenite; dilatometry; different cooling rates; autopartitioning

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Contents
  2. Investigations on Case Hardening of an Additive Manufactured Steel 20MnCr5 (via PBF-LB/M)
  3. Continuous Cooling Transformation Diagram of Case Hardening Steel by Instrumented Jominy Test
  4. Investigations on the Effect of Cooling Rate on Quenching & Partitioning (Q&P) in Martensitic Stainless Steels
  5. The Hydrogen Challenge: Requirements for Future Materials
  6. Imprint / Impressum
  7. Imprint / Impressum
  8. From and for Practice / Praxis-Informationen
  9. AWT-Info / HTM 04-2023
  10. HTM Praxis
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