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Boro-Austempering Treatment of High-Strength Bainitic Steels

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Abstract

High-strength bainitic steels are considered potential candidates for the 3rd generation of advanced high-strength steels (AHSS). The main characteristic of silicon-alloyed steels is the presence of carbide-free bainite, obtained by low-temperature austempering. Salt bath boriding is an effective method for increasing wear resistance and provides high corrosion resistance. The combination of these two treatments is called boro-austempering and is a promising alternative to increase the wear resistance of AHSS. In the present work, samples were borided at 900 °C for 2 h, direct-cooled from that temperature and isothermally held in a salt bath at 360 °C for 1 and 3 h. The substrate and the layers produced were characterized by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), Vickers microhardness (HRV) and microadhesive wear tests. The tribological characteristics of the layers were compared with those of the substrate. The microscopic analysis showed the effectiveness of boro-austempering treatment in the production of carbide-free bainite microstructure and the surface borided layers. As a result, there were increases in surface wear resistance up to 115% when compared to the substrate.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Baldan LTDA and Villares Metals S.A for technical support and the Laboratory of Structural Characterization (LCE/DEMa/UFSCar) for the general facilities. This work was carried out with the support of the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)—Brazil, Code of Funding 001.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Materials Engineering Department, São Carlos School of Engineering, University of São Paulo, Sao Carlos, Brazil

    Pedro Gabriel Bonella de Oliveira, Fábio Edson Mariani & Luiz Carlos Casteletti

  2. Master Program in Metallurgic and Materials Engineering (PROPEMM), Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Espírito Santo, Vitória, Brazil

    André Itman Filho

  3. Department of Materials, Federal Technological University of Paraná, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil

    Amadeu Lombardi Neto

  4. Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Portland State University, Portland, USA

    George Edward Totten

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  1. Pedro Gabriel Bonella de Oliveira
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  2. Fábio Edson Mariani
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  3. Luiz Carlos Casteletti
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Correspondence to Fábio Edson Mariani.

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This article is an invited submission to JMEP selected from presentations at the 30th Heat Treating Society Conference and Exposition held October 15-17, 2019, in Detroit, Michigan, and has been expanded from the original presentation.

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de Oliveira, P.G.B., Mariani, F.E., Casteletti, L.C. et al. Boro-Austempering Treatment of High-Strength Bainitic Steels. J. of Materi Eng and Perform 29, 3486–3493 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-020-04590-7

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