Heat Treatment of Plain C Steels

(Time-Temperature-Transformations
in Plain C Steels)

2ME03_Lecture 13
Shashank P Joshi
What is Heat Treatment? Why is it done?

➢ As per Metals Handbook, heat treatment is:

✓A combination of heating and cooling

operations, timed and applied to a metal or
alloy in the solid state in a way that will
produce desired properties.
Which Alloy System is Susceptible to heat
treatment? (Can be subjected to heat treatment?)
Allotropy of Iron
Heat Treatment Processes or Thermal
Processes for Metals & Alloys
➢Annealing: The term annealing refers to a heat treatment in
which a material is exposed to an elevated temperature for
an extended time period and then slowly cooled.
➢Typically, annealing is carried out to
✓(1) relieve stresses;
✓(2) increase softness, ductility, and toughness;
✓and/or (3) produce a specific microstructure.
Annealing: Full or SubCritical

1. FULL Annealing
2. Process Annealing
3. Stress relief
1 Furnace cooling

UCT
LCT
2
3
Normalizing: Cooled in still air, makes the steel
harder and stronger, finer P & finer grain size

1. FULL Annealing
2. Process Annealing
3. Stress relief
Still Air cooling

UCT
LCT
 Fine pearlite

Coarse
pearlite

8
Fig. 5(c): Optical micrograph showing colonies
of pearlite . Courtesy of S. S. Babu.

9
 Typical Full Hardening cycle for 0.55% C steel:
1. Heat above A3 temperature
2. Soak at that temperature for specified time
3. Oil Quench to get M structure.

Soaking at 820°C for 4 hrs

(to get homogeneous austenite
with required grain size)

TCRITICAL
Temperature

1
3 Structure after
Heat treatment
Proeutectoid α
+ Martensite
Structure before
Heat treatment
Proeutectoid α Time
+ Pearlite
SAE-AISI 1055; BS:EN 9 or 070M55, IS:55C8

Shashank P Joshi 10
What is the purpose of this H. T. ?
➢SAE 1055 equivalent to En 9 or 070M55 (BS) equivalent to
C55 (ISO) is Quench & Temper type (Q & T) steel.
➢Develops tensile strength of the order of 700-850 N/mm2
➢Develops hardness of the order od 58 Rc
➢Spindles, shafts, hammers, wrenches
➢Composition as per specification (% by weight)
✓C – 0.5 – 0.6, Si -0.10 – 0.40, Mn – 0.5 – 0.9, P & S – 0.050 max
 Soaking at 820°C for 4 hrs
(to get homogeneous austenite
with required grain size)

Temperature
TCRITICAL

1
3

Time
SAE-AISI 1055; BS:EN 9 or 070M55, IS:55C8
 Microstructures of 0.55 C Steel
• Before Hardening Heat Treatment • After Hardening Heat Treatment

Proeutectoid ferrite Proeutectoid ferrite

+ Pearlite + Martensite (Hardness increases
due to martensite)
Tempering : Relieving the stresses due to
hardening; always followed by hardening
➢The purpose of tempering is to relieve the stresses created
during hardening operation, martensite is highly stressed
structure, very hard but brittle.
➢Tempering is a subcritical operation, where the as quenched
M is heated below lower critical temperature (727), soaked
for required period of time, and usually slowly cooled to
room temperature.
➢Low Temperature Tempering
➢High Temperature Tempering
Slow Cooling

Time in region
indicates amount of
microconstituent!
Medium Cooling

Cooling Rate, R, is
Change in Temp /
Time °C/s
Fast Cooling

This steel is very

hardenable… 100%
Martensite in ~ 1
minute of cooling!
 Mechanical Behavior of Fe-C Alloys (I)
Cementite is harder and more brittle than ferrite -
increasing cementite fraction makes harder, less ductile
material.

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Influence of Cooling Rates on Phase
Equilibrium
➢All phase diagrams are showing the stability of phases in
equilibrium with temperature for all compositions of the
system.
➢The data is related to equilibrium cooling and equilibrium
heating, the rates are very slow. When cooling rates are
higher, it is cooled in non-equilibrium condition.
Influence of
alloying element
additions on
eutectoid
temperature and
eutectoid carbon
content.
Influence of Cooling Rates on Phase
Equilibrium
➢What if the heating or cooling rates are higher than that of
equilibrium rates? (Non-equilibrium)

➢If the cooling rates are higher, the transformation will now takes
place at a lower temperature than equilibrium temperature.(And
same way, on heating, transformations take place at higher
temperature than equilibrium temperature.)
Shashank P Joshi 21
Effect of Non-equilibrium cooling on
Transformation

r1>req

req
r1

Shashank P Joshi 22
Temperature-Time Transformations
➢In equilibrium, the time for transformation is infinite. As
cooling rate is very slow, sufficient time is allowed for
transformation to take place. (On heating, transformation
occurs at same temperature.)
➢In non-equilibrium, infinite time is not allowed at a given
temperature.
➢On heating, transformation does not occur at same
temperature.
Shashank P Joshi 23
 Eutectoid Reaction
𝜸⇄𝜶+ 𝑪 ഥ at 727 ℃

FCC BCC ORTHORHOMBIC

0.8% C 0.025% C 6.67 % C

FCC converts to BCC iron, which contain 0.025 % C,
hence, this involves two types of diffusion, Fe-Fe (FCC
BCC) and Fe-C (Carbon must come out of austenite
and diffuses into BCC iron.
Ferrite and cementite forms from austenite through
process of nucleation and growth.

Shashank P Joshi 24
 ഥ at 727 ℃
Eutectoid Reaction: 𝜸 ⇄ 𝜶 + 𝑪

➢Austenite is stable above 727 ℃.

➢At 727 ℃, on cooling it converts into stable phases. 727 ℃ is

equilibrium temperature. Sufficient time (infinite) is allowed for
the reaction to occur.

➢However, austenite can be present below 727 ℃, for some

period of time. Termed as ‘undercooled’

Shashank P Joshi 25
 ΔT is degree of supercooling or undercooling

At req, Temperature is Te=727, ΔT=0

At r1, Temperature is T1, ΔT1

At r2, Temperature is T2, ΔT2

ΔT1
ΔT2

Shashank P Joshi 26
 Time temperature transformation (schematic) diagram for plain carbon eutectoid
steel

% of Phase
100
T1 T2 At T1, incubation
50%
period for pearlite=t2,
0 Pearlite finish time
=t4
Ae1
T2 Minimum incubation
period t0 at the nose
Pearlite
T1
of the TTT diagram,
t1 t2 t3 t4 t5 Fine pearlite
t0

Hardness
50% very fine pearlite + 50% upper bainite MS=Martensite
start temperature
M50=temperature
Temperature

Upper bainite
for 50%
martensite
formation
MF= martensite
Lower bainite
finish temperature
MS, Martensite start temperature
M50,50% Martensite
Metastable austenite +martensite
MF, Martensite finish temperature

Martensite
27
Log time
 Introduction to Materials Science, Chapter 10, Phase Transformations in Metals

TTT Diagrams

Eutectoid
Austenite (stable) temperatur
e

 ferrite Coarse pearlite

Fe3C

Fine pearlite

Austenite → pearlite
Denotes that a
transformation
transformation
is occurring

Thickness of ferrite and cementite layers in

pearlite is ~ 8:1. Absolute layer thickness depends
on temperature of transformation.
Higher temperature → thicker layers.
28
University of Virginia, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering
Development of a T-T-T Diagram

Salt bath I – Bath II low-temperature salt-bath

Austenitization heat treatment for isothermal treatment
Eutectoid Reaction or Transformation
ഥ at 727 ℃
𝜸⇄𝜶+ 𝑪

Shashank P Joshi 31
 Introduction to Materials Science, Chapter 10, Phase Transformations in Metals
Isothermal Transformation (or TTT) Diagrams
(Temperature, Time, and % Transformation)

32
University of Virginia, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering
 Introduction to Materials Science, Chapter 10, Phase Transformations in Metals

Formation of Bainite Microstructure (I)

Upper bainite Lower bainite

Transformation T low enough (540°C)

Bainite rather than fine pearlite forms 33
University of Virginia, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering
 Introduction to Materials Science, Chapter 10, Phase Transformations in Metals

Formation of Bainite Microstructure (II)

➢T ~ 300-540°C, upper bainite consists of needles of ferrite separated by long

cementite particles
➢T ~ 200-300°C, lower bainite has thin plates of ferrite and fine rods or blades
of cementite
➢Bainite: transformation rate controlled by microstructure growth (diffusion)
rather than nucleation. Diffusion is slow at low T, It has a very fine
(microscopic) microstructure.
➢Pearlite and bainite transformations are competitive.

34
University of Virginia, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering
 Introduction to Materials Science, Chapter 10, Phase Transformations in Metals
TTT Diagram including Martensite

Austenite-to-martensite is
diffusionless and fast.
Amount of martensite
depends on T only.
M

A: Austenite P: Pearlite
B: Bainite M: Martensite
35
University of Virginia, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering
Summary
➢For carrying out the heat treatment, T-T-T diagrams are to
be referred, non-equilibrium conditions.
➢Austenite transformation occurs with respect to time as well
as temperature.
➢T-T-T diagrams are behavior of the steel, hence do not
change for a specific composition; but for every composition
T-T-T diagrams are different.
 Schematic Fe-Fe3C metastable equilibrium diagram and TTT
diagrams for plain carbon hypoeutectoid, eutectoid and
hypereutectoid steels
γ=austenite M=martensite
P=pearlite
α=ferrite FP=fine pearlite MS=Martensite start temperature
CP=coarse UB=upper bainite M50=temperature for 50% martensite
pearlite LB=lower bainite formation
MF= martensite finish temperature

(a) Fe-Fe3C (b) TTT diagram for (c ) TTT diagram (d) TTT diagram for
metastable phase hypoeutectoid steel for eutectoid steel hypereutectoid steel
diagram

MS
37
Summary

➢The cooling curve is superimposed on the

specific T-T-T diagram, gives the resultant
microstructure, tells about whether that
structure and desired properties can be
obtained or not.

38
 Time-temperature path – microstructure
Introduction to Materials Science, Chapter 10, Phase Transformations in Metals

39
University of Virginia, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering
 Introduction to Materials Science, Chapter 10, Phase Transformations in Metals

Summary of austenite transformations

Austenite

Slow Rapid
cooling quench

Moderate
cooling

Pearlite ( + Fe3C) + Bainite Martensite

a proeutectoid phase ( + Fe3C) (BCT phase)

Reheat

Tempered martensite
( + Fe3C)

Solid lines are diffusional transformations, dashed

is diffusionless martensitic transformation
40
University of Virginia, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering
 Introduction to Materials Science, Chapter 10, Phase Transformations in Metals

So What’s a CCT Diagram?

➢Phase Transformations and Production of
Microconstituents takes TIME.
➢Higher Temperature = Less Time.
➢If you don’t hold at one temperature and allow time to
change, you are “Continuously Cooling”.
➢Therefore, a CCT diagram’s transition lines will be
different than a TTT diagram.

University of Virginia, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering

Summary
➢The C curves of T-T-T diagrams change or shift with %
alloying element, grain size of the steel.
➢For example, 0.5% Cr or Mo shifts the C-curve to the right,
allowing the sub-cooled or undercooled austenite to exist for
some more time.
➢Allows lowered critical cooling rates to form M.
➢Coarse grained austenite shifts C-curve to the right.
Summary
➢Low C steels are non-hardenable.
➢C content at the surface is increased by carburizing so as to
develop martensite structure in that layer, extremely
hardness, wear resistance.
Summary
➢Induction and Flame hardening heat treatments are case
hardening heat treatments.
➢Develops martensite in the surface layer.
➢Induction and Flame hardenable steels are medium C steels
or high C steels.
 Thanks
Questions?

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