Effect of Austenitizing Temperature on Microstructure and Wear Resistance of Medium Carbon Low Alloy Wear-resistant Stee

Wear-resistant steel is an important type of steel used in various engineering applications due to its excellent wear resistance. Medium carbon low alloy steels have excellent mechanical and corrosive properties and are the most widely used among all the wear-resistant steels. The microstructure and properties of the medium carbon low alloy wear-resistant steel can be improved by austenitizing, which is a type of heat treatment that involves heating the steel to a temperature above the critical temperature. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of austenitizing temperature on the microstructure and wear resistance of a medium carbon low alloy wear-resistant steel.
    
Experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of austenitizing temperature on the microstructure and wear resistance of a medium carbon low alloy wear-resistant steel. The specimens were austenitized at three different temperatures: 930 ºC, 980 ºC and 1030 ºC for 1 hour. After austenitizing, the specimens were quenched in oil at 700 ºC for 1 hour. The microstructure and wear resistance of the specimens were then evaluated using an optical microscope and a pin-on-disk wear test, respectively.
    
Shows an optical micrograph of the microstructure of the specimens after austenitizing and quenching. It can be seen that the ferrite structure in the specimens increased from 930 ºC to 1030 ºC. Furthermore, at 1030 ºC, the microstructure consisted of approximately 70% ferrite and 30% martensite, which is indicative of a higher hardness.
    
Optical micrographs of the microstructure of medium carbon low alloy wear-resistant steel specimens after austenitizing and quenching
    
Wear resistance (HT1500) of medium carbon low alloy wear-resistant steel specimens tested at different austenitizing temperatures
    
Shows the wear resistance of the specimens after austenitizing and quenching. It can be seen that the wear resistance of the specimens increased with an increase in the austenitizing temperature. At 1030 ºC, the specimens had the highest wear resistance with a value of HT1500.
    
In conclusion, the austenitizing temperature had a significant effect on the microstructure and wear resistance of the medium carbon low alloy wear-resistant steel specimens. The specimens showed an increase in ferrite structure and a higher wear resistance when austenitized at higher temperatures. These results suggest that to improve the wear resistance of the medium carbon low alloy wear-resistant steel, austenitizing the specimens at higher temperatures is necessary.

---