Effect of Heat Treatment on Microstructure and Hardness of Low Carbon Steel
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Low carbon steel is widely used in structural and engineering applications due to its excellent formability and weldability; however, its mechanical properties are highly dependent on microstructure. In the present study, the influence of different heat treatment processes on the microstructure and hardness of low carbon steel was investigated. Different heat treatment conditions, namely annealing, normalizing, conventional hardening (water quenching), Neem Bath ,Ice Bath,Salt Bath,brine Bath quenching were applied. Metallographic analysis was carried out using optical microscopy at magnifications of 100× and 500×. The results reveal significant variations in phase distribution, grain size, and morphology due to different cooling rates. Fine pearlitic structures were observed in normalized samples, whereas martensitic structures were dominant in quenched specimens. Hardness values increased with increasing cooling rate, with brine-quenched samples showing maximum hardness. The study establishes a clear correlation between heat treatment, microstructure, and hardness of low carbon steel.
Downloads
References
ASM Handbook, Volume 4: Heat Treating
Hardening Characteristics of Plain Carbon Steel and Ductile Cast Iron Using Neem Oil as Quenchant, DOI: 10.4236/jmmce.2011.102011, https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation?paperid=20838&utm_source=chatgpt.com
Heat treatment - Principles & Techniques by T.V. Rajan
Metallographic Handbook by George F. Vander Voort.
Microscale & Macroscale Techniques in the Organic Laboratory by Mayo et al.
Physical metallurgy by Vijendra Singh.
Steels: Heat Treatment & Processing Principles by George Krauss.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
All articles published in our journal are licensed under CC-BY 4.0, which permits authors to retain copyright of their work. This license allows for unrestricted use, sharing, and reproduction of the articles, provided that proper credit is given to the original authors and the source.