Author : Pankaj Sharma

Effect of quenched and inter critical heat treatment on structural steel (0.09 wt % C, 0.50 wt % Mn, 0.05 wt % S) has been investigated. Specimens for annealing, intercritical at two different temperatures and oil quenching were prepared. The heat treatment of the experimental steel was based on inter critical quenching in the ferrite plus austenite temperature range of the Fe–C phase diagram at temperatures 750OC and 850OC for 30 minutes at each temperature in a laboratory electric heat treatment furnace followed by quenching in plain water to room temperature. The results revealed that inter critical heat treatment optimized the yield strength, increased the tensile strength and hardness properties but decreased the ductility and notch impact toughness properties of the experimental steel. Moreover, the results also revealed that annealing eliminated the yield strength and produced a greater increase in tensile strength and decrease hardness properties but a greater increase in the ductility than oil quenching of the experimental steel.

Keywords: DP steel, Heat treatment, Annealing, Quenching

Article published in International Journal of Current Engineering and Technology, Vol.7, No.1 (Feb-2017)