Laboratory 3

ENGI 5911 Chemistry and Physics of Materials II Winter 2017
Laboratory 3: Heat Treatment of 1045 Steel
Instructor: Dr. Ali Nasiri

Staff Technologist: Steve Steele
Teaching Assistants: Jalal Taheri
Introduction
The heat treatment of metals is a way to improve its mechanical properties (strength and ductility).
Above ~730 ºC, medium-carbon steel exists as austenite, which is an FCC-structure. Below that
temperature, austenite becomes energetically unstable and transforms into the BCC-structure.
Depending on the cooling scheme from the austenitic phase, this BCC structure can have three
types of microstructure: (coarse and fine) pearlite, bainite, and martensite. In this lab, we will be
heat treating a 0.45 wt.% C steel, then polishing, and etching its surface to observe the
microstructure resulting from the specific heat treatments assigned. We will also measure the
mechanical hardness of our heat-treated steels. You will be working in your assigned teams, and
each team will have a specific heat treatment “recipe”. You will present your analysis in a formal
lab report. For background reading, please refer to Chapter/Section 10.2 on the “TTT Diagram” in
your textbook.
Microscopic examination is a useful tool in the characterization of materials, e.g. for
analyzing the correlation between properties and structure (and defects), predicting properties of
materials once these relationships have been understood, and determining whether a material has
been correctly heat-treated. With optical microscopy, the surfaces of materials that are opaque to
visible light are observed using a light microscope in reflecting mode. Contrasts in the image
produced result from differences in reflectivity of the various regions of the microstructure.
Observations of this type are usually termed “metallographic”, because metals were first examined
using this technique.
Careful and meticulous surface preparations are necessary to reveal the important details of
microstructure. This is achieved by (mechanical) polishing, using successively finer abrasive
papers and powders, until the specimen surface is smooth and possesses a mirror-like finish. The
final, and finest, step in polishing is a “chemical polish”, or an etch, by which the microstructure
is revealed using a chemical reagent. For steels, the etchant that is most commonly used is 2%
Nital. Chemical reactivity may depend on crystallographic orientation, thus the luster or texture,
as well as grain boundary regions, will appear differently when viewed with an optical microscope.
The upper limit to the magnification possible with an optical microscope is ~2000X magnification.
Another mechanical property that engineers use to characterize materials in performance is
hardness, which is a measure of a material’s resistance to localized plastic deformation (via a small
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dent or scratch). Quantitative hardness techniques have been developed over the years in which a
small indenter is forced into the surface of a material to be tested, under controlled conditions of
load and rate of application. The depth or size of the resulting indentation is measured, which in
turn is related to a hardness number. The softer the material, the larger and deeper the indentation,
and the lower the hardness index number. Measured hardness values are only relative and care
should be taken to compare values tested by the same technique (or else you will be comparing
“apples to oranges”!).
Hardness tests are performed more frequently than any other mechanical tests because they
are simple and relatively inexpensive, the test is non-destructive, and other mechanical properties
can be estimated from hardness data (such as tensile strength).
We will be using a Rockwell B or C tester in this lab. Indenters include spherical and
hardened steel balls having different diameters or a conical diamond indenter, which is used for
the hardest materials. A hardness number is determined by the difference in depth of penetration
resulting from the application of an initial minor load (for test accuracy) followed by a larger major
load. On the basis of both the major and minor loads, there are two types of tests: Rockwell and
superficial Rockwell. For Rockwell, the minor load is 10 kg, whereas major loads are 60, 100, and
150 kg. Each scale is represented by a letter of the alphabet. For superficial tests, 3 kg is the minor
load, and 15, 30, and 45 are the possible major loads. Superficial tests are usually performed on
thin specimens. When specifying Rockwell and superficial hardnesses, both hardness number and
scale symbol must be identified. The scale is designated by the symbol HR followed by the
appropriate scale identification. For example, 80 HRB represents a Rockwell hardness of 80 on
the B scale and 60 HR30W indicates a superficial hardness of 60 on the 30W scale.
Specimen thickness should be at least ten times the indentation depth, whereas allowance
should be made for at least three indentation diameters between the center of one indentation and
the specimen edge, or to the center of a second indentation. Accuracy is dependent also on the
indentation being made into a smooth flat surface. Figure 1 is taken from Table 6.9 from your
textbook and shows the hardness test geometries for the Rockwell tests.
Figure 1: Rockwell Hardness Test Geometries (taken from [2]).
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Procedure
SAFETY is of utmost important here. Steel-toed boots and safety glasses must be worn at all times.
Keep in mind that the furnaces are set to 800 ºC (!) which is not just a “slight burn on the cooking
stove” and we will be working with polishing wheels and acids.
Be sure to note the actual temperatures of the furnace, room, water quench. Note all
equipment (heat treatment, polishing, etching, hardness, and microscopy) used in your lab
notebook using lists, sketches, or photos. Note observations throughout each stage of the lab,
including specifications (time, concentrations, experimental values, magnifications, etc.).
Step 1: Heat Treatment of 1045 Steel

The specific heat treatment cycle of each group is shown in the following table.
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Expected
Date Group Heat Treatment cycles of 1045 Steel
Microstructure
Feb 6 M1 Take sample out of furnace and quench immediately in water.
M2 Take sample out of furnace, cool in air for 1 minutes, then quench
immediately in water, hold in water for 3 minutes.
M3 Take sample out of furnace, cool in 400 oC furnace for 5 minutes, then
quench immediately in water, hold in water for 3 minutes.
Feb 7 M5 Take sample out of furnace, cool in air for 3 minutes, then quench
M6 Take sample out of furnace and quench immediately in water.
M8 Take sample out of furnace, cool at room temperature for 10 minutes,
then quench in water, hold in water for 3 minutes.
Feb 8 M9 Take sample out of furnace and quench immediately in water, hold in
water 3 minutes, place sample back in 400 oC furnace for 5 minutes, then
quench in water for 3 minutes.
Feb 9 M13 Take sample out of furnace, cool in 400 oC furnace for 5 minutes, then
M14 Take sample out of furnace and quench immediately in water, hold in
Feb 14 M21 Take sample out of furnace, cool at room temperature for 10 minutes,
Feb 15 M17 Take sample out of furnace, cool in air for 1 minutes, then quench
M20 Take sample out of furnace and quench immediately in water, hold in
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Figure 2: TTT Diagram for a hypoeutectoid composition (0.5 wt.% C).
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Figure 3: TTT Diagram for a hypoeutectoid composition (0.5 wt.% C) containing three heat
treatment cycles (a, b, and c) and the resultant microstructures.
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Step 2: Hardness Testing

Perform Rockwell C Hardness testing. Note your specimen’s hardness value and the set-up of the
apparatus.
Figure 4: Rockwell Hardness as a function of carbon concentration for plain carbon steels having
fine and coarse pearlite as well as spheroidite microstructures.
Figure 5: Hardness at room temperature as a function of carbon concentration for plain carbon
steels showing martensitic, tempered martensitic, and pearlitic microstructures.
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Step 3: Polishing
Polish your samples using the two polishing wheels (two grades of cloth grit) until you reach a mirror-
like finish. Note the grade of grit and the polishing time on each wheel.
Step 4: Etching
Etch the specimens with 2% Nital. Note the procedure and etching time.
Step 5: Microscopy
Use the optical microscope to photograph the microstructure of your steel specimen in at least 3
different spots on the surface. Note the magnification and save the images onto a USB stick.
Some example microstructures for your interest:
Coarse and Fine Pearlite
Coarse and Fine Pearlite
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Bainite
Martensite
References
1. Shackelford, Introduction to Materials Science for Engineers, 7th Edition, Pearson-Prentice
Hall, 2009.
2. Callister, Materials Science and Engineering: An Introduction, 8th Edition, Wiley & Sons,
2010.
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ENGI 5911 Chemistry and Physics of Materials II Winter 2017

Laboratory 3: Heat Treatment of 1045 Steel

Instructor: Dr. Ali Nasiri

Figure 1: Rockwell Hardness Test Geometries (taken from [2]).

Step 1: Heat Treatment of 1045 Steel

Figure 2: TTT Diagram for a hypoeutectoid composition (0.5 wt.% C).

Step 2: Hardness Testing

Some example microstructures for your interest:

Coarse and Fine Pearlite

Coarse and Fine Pearlite

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