The Influences of Nb Microalloying and Grain Refinement Thermal Cycling on Microstructure and Tribological Properties of Armox 500T

This study aims to investigate the combined effect of niobium (Nb) microalloying and austenite grain refinement, using a specific heat treatment cycle, on the microstructure and tribological properties of Armox 500T steel. In this work, Nb addition and thermal cycling were utilized for grain refinem...

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Published in:Materials 2023-12, Vol.16 (23), p.7485
Main Authors: Youssef, Mervat, El-Shenawy, Eman H, Khair-Eldeen, Wael, Adachi, Tadaharu, Nofal, Adel, Hassan, Mohsen A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alloys
Boron
Energy dispersive X ray analysis
Grain boundaries
Grain growth
Grain refinement
Grain size
Heat treatment
High strength steels
Martensite
Mechanical properties
Metal industry
Microalloying
Microstructure
Morphology
Niobium
Phase transitions
Precipitates
Room temperature
Scanning electron microscopy
Steel alloys
Strength to weight ratio
Temperature
Tensile strength
Thermal cycling
Tribology
Wear rate
X ray analysis
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Summary:This study aims to investigate the combined effect of niobium (Nb) microalloying and austenite grain refinement, using a specific heat treatment cycle, on the microstructure and tribological properties of Armox 500T steel. In this work, Nb addition and thermal cycling were utilized for grain refinement and enhancement of the mechanical properties of Armox 500T alloy, to provide improved protection via lightweight armor steel components with a high strength-to-weight ratio. The kinetics of transformation of the developed Armox alloys were studied using JMATPro version 13.2. The samples were subjected to two austenitizing temperatures, 1000 °C and 1100 °C, followed by 4 min of holding time and three consecutive thermal and rapid-quenching processes from 900 °C to room temperature. Scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX) was employed to analyze the microstructure, which primarily consists of four types of martensite: short and long lath martensite, blocky martensite, and equiaxed martensite. Additionally, a small percentage (not exceeding 3%) of carbide precipitates was observed. The wear characteristics of the investigated alloys were evaluated using a pin-on-disc tribometer. The results demonstrate that alloying with Nb and grain refinement using a thermal cycle significantly reduce the wear rate.
ISSN:1996-1944
1996-1944
DOI:10.3390/ma16237485