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Continuous Cooling Transformation Diagrams CCT

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22 views

Continuous Cooling Transformation Diagrams CCT

Uploaded by

ha990025
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Continuous cooling

transformation diagrams CCT


Isothermal heat treatments are not the most practical to conduct
because an alloy must be rapidly cooled to and maintained at an
elevated temperature from a higher temperature above the
eutectoid. Most heat treatments for steels involve the continuous
cooling of a specimen to room temperature. An isothermal
transformation diagram is valid only for conditions of constant
temperature; this diagram must be modified for transformations
that occur as the temperature is constantly changing. For
continuous cooling, the time required for a reaction to begin and
end is delayed. Thus the isothermal curves are shifted to longer
times and lower temperatures, as indicated in Figure in the next
slide for an iron–carbon alloy of eutectoid composition. A plot
containing such modified beginning and ending reaction curves is
termed a continuous-cooling transformation (CCT) diagram.
Two cooling curves corresponding to
moderately fast and slow rates are
shown here, again for a eutectoid steel.
The transformation starts after a time
period corresponding to the intersection
of the cooling curve with the beginning
reaction curve and ends upon crossing
the completion transformation curve.
The microstructural products for the
moderately rapid and slow cooling rate
curves are fine and coarse pearlite,
respectively.
Normally, bainite will not form when an alloy of
eutectoid composition or any plain carbon steel is
continuously cooled to room temperature. Thus, the
region representing the austenite–pearlite
transformation terminates just below the nose (the
Figure in the previous slide), as indicated by the curve
AB. For any cooling curve passing through AB, the
transformation ceases at the point of intersection; with
continued cooling, the unreacted austenite begins
transforming into martensite upon crossing the
M(start) line
For the continuous cooling of a steel alloy,
there exists a critical quenching rate, which
represents the minimum rate of quenching
that produces a totally martensitic
structure. This critical cooling rate, when
included on the continuous transformation
diagram, just misses the nose at which the
pearlite transformation begins. As the
figure also shows, only martensite exists
for quenching rates greater than the
critical one; in addition, there is a range of
rates over which both pearlite and
martensite are produced. Finally, a totally
pearlitic structure develops for low cooling
rates.
Mechanical properties for steel microstructures

Mechanical properties for all phases as a function of wt% C for carbon steel
The effect of shape of Fe3C in steel
Brinell and Rockwell hardness as a function of carbon concentration for plain
carbon steels having fine and coarse pearlite as well as spheroidite microstructures
• Fine pearlite is stronger than course one which is because the
high adhesion forces between the two phases (⍺ and Fe3C). Thus,
fine and well distributed Fe3C plates in ⍺ matrix serve as a barrier
for dislocation movement making fine pearlite stronger than
course one. The ductility is less for fine pearlite for the same
reason as the dislocation can move less in fine pearlite reducing
the ductility.
• Spheroidite is weaker than pearlite for the same reason as well.
The sphere shape of Fe3C offers less restriction to dislocation
movement. In fact, spheroidite is the softest and weakest among
all other steel microstructure. However, it is notably tough
because any crack can encounter only a very small fraction of the
brittle cementite particles as it propagates through the ductile
ferrite matrix.
The influence of isothermal transformation temperature on the mechanical properties of P and B
(a) Brinell hardness and tensile strength and (b) ductility (%RA) (at room temperature) as a function of
isothermal transformation temperature for an iron–carbon alloy of eutectoid composition, taken over the
temperature range at which bainitic and pearlitic microstructures form.
Martensite is the hardest and strongest and, in
addition, the most brittle steel microstructure. Its
hardness depends on the carbon content, up to
about 0.6 wt%. These properties are attributed to
the effectiveness of the interstitial carbon atoms
in hindering dislocation motion (solid-solution
effect), and to the relatively few slip systems
(along which dislocations move) for the BCT
structure.
During the phase transformation upon quenching
to form martensite, there is a net volume
increase. Consequently, relatively large pieces that
are rapidly quenched may crack as a result of
internal stresses; this becomes a problem
especially when the carbon content is greater
than about 0.5 wt%.
In the as-quenched state, martensite, in addition to
being very hard, is so brittle that it cannot be used
for most applications; also, any internal stresses
that may have been introduced during quenching
have a weakening effect. The ductility and
toughness of martensite may be enhanced and
these internal stresses relieved by a heat treatment
known as tempering.
Tempering is accomplished by heating a martensitic
steel to a temperature below the eutectoid for a
specified time period. Normally, tempering is
carried out at temperatures between 250°C and
650°C; internal stresses, however, may be relieved
at temperatures as low as 200°C. This tempering
heat treatment allows, by diffusional processes, the
formation of tempered martensite, according to the
reaction
The microstructure of tempered martensite
consists of extremely small and uniformly
dispersed cementite particles embedded
within a continuous ferrite matrix.
The hardness and strength for the tempered
martensite may be explained by the large
ferrite–cementite phase boundary area per
unit volume that exists for the very fine and
numerous cementite particles. Again, the
hard cementite phase reinforces the ferrite
matrix along the boundaries, and these
boundaries also act as barriers to dislocation
motion during plastic deformation. The
continuous ferrite phase is also very ductile
and relatively tough, which accounts for the
improvement of these two properties for
tempered martensite.

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