Strengthening and toughening mechanism of high-strength low-alloy wear-resistant steel NM400

High-strength low-alloy wear-resistant steel NM400 is an ultra-high strength structural steel plate developed. It features its high purity, excellent welding performance, extensive use, good corrosion resistance and other characteristics, and also has its outstanding wear resistance. So how does the high-strength low-alloy wear-resistant steel NM400 get its strong and tough properties?
    
To understand the strengthening and toughening mechanisms of high-strength low-alloy wear resistant steel NM400, we can first analyze its chemical composition. In this regard, high-strength low-alloy wear-resistant steel NM400 contains high-strength components, such as Mn, Si, and C, as well as alloy elements, such as Nb, V, and Ti. Such high-strength components, alloy elements and comprehensive performance can effectively meet the requirements of wear-resistant steel mechanical properties.
    
High-strength low-alloy wear-resistant steel NM400 has also been made with a special heat treatment process to further enhance its mechanical properties. This process uses modern metallurgical technology to combine a variety of multi-phase heat treatment processes, and thereby forming a special heat treatment process shown in Figure 1.
    
This kind of special heat treatment process greatly enhances the hardenability of the material, increases the strength of the metal, further changes the microstructure and grain of the metal, and more importantly strengthens and toughens the material.
    
In addition to the above two ways, high-strength low-alloy wear-resistant steel NM400 also adopts a so-called TMCP (Thermo-mechanical control process) process to control the microstructure by combining the application of multiple heat treatments, accelerates cooling rate as well as appropriate mechanical processing parameters designed for the material. By doing so, this process significantly increases the yield and tensile strength, as well as its fatigue strength.

It can be seen from the above that high-strength low-alloy wear-resistant steel NM400 makes brilliant use of modern metallurgical technology to accurately and effectively strengthen and toughen steel. This combination of multiple heat treatment processes and TMCP control process has been proven to be quite effective in materially improving the strength and toughness of the materials.

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