Heat Treatment of Metals ›› 2024, Vol. 49 ›› Issue (12): 1-8.DOI: 10.13251/j.issn.0254-6051.2024.12.001

• PROCESS RESEARCH •     Next Articles

Effect of austenitization temperature on microstructure and mechanical properties of 40CrMnSi2Mo steel under air cooling

Yu Linran, Liu Geng, Yang Zhuoyue, Su Jie, Ning Jing, Ding Yali   

  1. Research Institute of Special Steels, Central Iron and Steel Research Institute Co., Ltd., Beijing 100081, China
  • Received:2024-07-09 Revised:2024-10-02 Online:2024-12-25 Published:2025-02-05

Abstract: Effect of austenitization temperature (875-975 ℃) on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the novel Cr-Mn-Si series high strength medium carbon low alloy 40CrMnSi2Mo steel under air cooling condition was studied by means of optical microscope (OM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and laser scanning confocal microscope (LSCM). The results show that when austenitized at 875 ℃ and 900 ℃, the microstructure is dominated by martensite with a small amount of the undissolved precipitates (NbC). The prior austenite grains are fine and stable. The tensile strength is 1997 MPa and 2003 MPa, the elongation is 11.0% and 12.0%, and the fracture toughness is 70.3 MPa·m1/2 and 73.6 MPa·m1/2, respectively. When austenitized at 975 ℃, the solubility of NbC increases and the pinning effect decreases. The growth of austenite grain size decreases the thermal stability so that the coarse bainite/martensite multiphase is obtained under air cooling. The tensile strength is 1980 MPa, the elongation is 10.5%, and the fracture toughness is only 77.6 MPa·m1/2. The effect of the austenite grain refinement on the strength and toughness of the 40CrMnSi2Mo steel is not obvious. The fine bainite/martensite multiphase can be obtained after austenitizing at 950 ℃. The mechanical properties achieve an excellent combination, with the tensile strength of 2040 MPa, the elongation of 12% and the fracture toughness of 86.6 MPa·m1/2.

Key words: 2 GPa grade 40CrMnSi2Mo steel, bainite/martensite duplex microstructure, tensile strength, fracture toughness

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