Effect of Manganese Content On The Wear Resistance and Impact Properties of Hadfield Steel

EFFECT OF MANGANESE CONTENT ON THE WEAR
RESISTANCE AND IMPACT PROPERTIES OF HADFIELD

STEEL *
1
Bianka Nani Venturelli
2
Gustavo Tressia
1
Eduardo Albertin
Abstract
This paper studies the effect of manganese content (5, 8, 12, 15 and 18%) on the
wear resistance and impact properties of Hadfield steels. Mechanical tests results
showed that Hadfield steel with 15% Mn had the highest value of the impact energy
(249J), followed by Hadfield with higher C and Mn content (1.4% C and 18% Mn,
201J), and the conventional Hadfield steel (12% Mn, 199J). Hadfield steel with
15%Mn presented the highest value of Hardness (HV 30). In the rubber wheel
abrasion tests, Hadfield steel with 8%Mn presented the lowest value of mass loss,
followed by 12% and 15%Mn. Microscopic characterization of the fractured test-
pieces indicated that higher Mn contents increased the proportion of plastic
deformation by the twinning mechanism.
Keywords: Hadfield steel; impact energy; wear.
1
Instituto de Pesquisas Tecnológicas do Estado de São Paulo - IPT, Av. Prof. Almeida Prado, 532,
CEP 05508-901, São Paulo, SP, BrasiEducation/degree, function, section/department, Institution
of work or study, city, state, country.
2
Instituto Tecnológico Vale, Education/degree, function, section/department, Institution of work or
study, city, state, country.
* Technical contribution to the 51º Seminário de Fusão, Refino & Solidificação de Metais, part of the
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ABM Week 6 edition, June 7 -9 , 2022, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
1 INTRODUCTION
In view of the large participation of the mining industry in the Brazilian economy [8],
the development of innovations applicable to wear resistant components used in the
handling and processing of ores is very important. Hadfield steels have been widely
used in applications involving high impact, compressive stress and abrasive wear,
such as components in the mining and railway industries (jaws and rotary liners in
primary ore crushing; railway switches and crossings) [1-7]. The modifications in
chemical composition, casting parameters and heat treatment of Hadfield steel aim to
increase the wear and impact properties. The optimization of these mechanical
properties is a key factor to increase the service life of critical engineering
components.
Hadfield steels components are produced mainly by casting. Hadfield steels in the
as-cast condition do not have the mechanical properties required for its applications.
The slow cooling rate in sand molds during the the casting process promotes the
precipitation of carbides along the austenite grain boundaries. These carbides can
act as stress concentrators and are responsible for low toughness and ductility
properties of non-heat treated Hadfield steels [1-7]. Consequently, Hadfield steel is
subjected to the solubilization heat treatment to achieve the high energy absorbed on
impact (110-180 J/cm2) that is characteristic of this steel. Solubilization heat-
treatment consists of heating into the austenite phase region (900-1200oC), which
are indicated by the pseudo-binary diagram of Hadfield steel with 13% Mn, followed
by water quenching [6-7].
The main alloying elements that characterize Hadfield steels are carbon (1-1.45%)
and manganese (10-14%) (Hadfield, 1882; Tweedale, 1985). The contents of C and
the presence of alloying elements such as Cr (1.5 to 2.5%), Mo (0.9 to 1.2%) and Ni
(3 to 4%) are the main factors that differentiate the ten grades of Hadfield steels,
according to the ASTM A128 standard [1]. Additionally, steels with Mn contents
higher than those specified in the standard, up to about 23%, are produced and
used. The high content of manganese of the Hadfield steels acts as a stabilizer for
the austenite phase at room temperature [3]. Its many grades feature an important
association of high toughness (impact energy between 110 and 180 J/cm 2), hardness
(195-220 HB) and strain hardening exponent (0.45 to 0.95) [1-8]. High manganese
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steels have a great capacity of work-hardening upon impact and deformation.
Consequently, Hadfield steels have been widely used in applications involving high
impact, compressive stress and abrasive wear, such as components in the mining
and railway industries (jaws and rotary liners in primary ore crushing; railway
switches and crossings) [1-9].
A wide range of research has been carried out in order to improve the mechanical
properties of Hadfield steels. These include variations in the chemical composition
(addition of Cr, Mo, V, Nb, Ti and Al), optimization of the thermal treatment and
reduction on the grain size of the castings [10-14]. The addition of carbide forming
elements (Cr, V, Nb and Ti) can promote the formation of a large amount of carbides
around the austenitic grains, improving the hardness of Hadfield steel but leading to
a fragility (reduction on the impact properties). Ayadi et al [11] study the effect of Mo,
Cr and Nb on the microstructure, hardness and tribological behavior of manganese
steels. Mass loss measured after specimens test pieces were rubbed against a
tungsten carbide (WC) disc (under a load of 300N) showed that the mechanical effect
of the high applied load promotes, in the dry conditions, the formation of martensite
on the surface of manganese steel containing Cr (2,3%), Mo (0,93%) and Nb
(0,78%).
Torabi et al [13] studied the effect of manganese content (7.55, 13 and 16%Mn) on [ea1] Comentário: Mudou? Não é mais
numeração das refs?
the properties of Hadfield steels and concluded that increasing manganese from 7.55 [ea2] Comentário: Estranho esse valor
com 2 casas decimais
to 16% resulted in increases of the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and of the wear
resistance of 11% and 29% respectively [13]. Gürol and Kurnaz [14] investigated the
effect of carbon (0.7, 1 and 1.3%C) and manganese (13, 17 and 20%Mn) contents
on the microstructure and mechanical properties (hardness, tensile and impact
properties) of high manganese austenitic steel. The results showed an increase of
the yield strength, ultimate strength, elongation and impact resistance in Charpy tests
with the increase of carbon and manganese contents [14].
Machado et al [15] evaluated the abrasion wear of the austenitic manganese steels
with 12%Mn and 20%Mn via jaw crusher laboratory tests. For the movable jaws the
steel with 20%Mn presented the higher wear resistance. The results showed that
stationary and movable jaws presented differences in the wear micromechanisms.
The movable jaws presented predominance of micro-indentation in contrast with the
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stationary jaws in which microcutting and microploughing micromechanisms
predominated. As a consequence, mass losses of the stationary jaw were 55%
higher than those of the movable jaw for 12%Mn steel and 32% higher for the 20%
Mn steel. The authors observed the formation of ultrafine grains and deformation
twins in the subsurface layers promoted by wear [15].
The present study will assess the effect of the manganese content on the
microstructure, impact toughness and wear properties of Hadfield steels. The
objective is to optimize the relationship between the Mn content and the mechanical
properties of Hadfield steels.
2 Materials and Methods
2.1 Casting samples
Simulations were performed using the Thermo-calc software to predict the

temperature ranges of the phase transformations during the solidification and cooling
and to define the casting parameters of Hadfield steels with five variations of
chemical compositions. Table 1Table 1 presents the Thermo-calc calculation results Formatado: Fonte: 12 pt, Não
Negrito, Cor da fonte: Automática
for these alloys.
Table 1. Thermo-calc simulation results.
Tcarbides
Tliquidus Tsolidus solidification
Alloy M3C and
(oC) (oC) interval (oC)
M7C3 (oC)
5-Mn 1408 1213 195 915
8-Mn 1400 1200 200 920

12-Mn
1388 1206 182 919
(reference)
15-Mn 1375 1180 200 920
18-Mn 1360 1157 203 923
The alloys were prepared in an induction furnace with argon atmosphere . The
pouring temperature of the castings was maintained in the range of 1450 to
1500oC.The test pieces with dimensions showed in Figure 1Figure 1 were cast to Formatado: Fonte: 12 pt, Não
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obtain samples for macro and microstructural characterization. The casting system
was developed with the aid of the Magmasoft software. These castings were
dimensioned to facilitate obtaining specimens for wear and impact tests.
In the simulations carried out on Magmasoft, the following characteristics were

evaluated:
• Occurrence of turbulence during filling;
• Mold filling time and temperature at the end of filling;
• Sequence of solidification of the specimen and soundness of the cast specimen.
Figure 2Figure 2 shows one of the results obtained in the Magmasoft simulations. Formatado: Fonte: 12 pt, Cor da
fonte: Automática
The temperature profile is observed at the beginning and at the end of mold filling
(pouring temperature of 1500°C). The temperature in the thinnest part of the piece
reached about 1480°C, corresponding to an overheating of approximately 100°C in
comparison with the liquidus temperature of Hadfield steel (1.2% C; 12% Mn and
0.65% Si.
Figure 1. Hadfield steels castings with 100 mm x 75 mm x (55-45) mm.
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Figure 2. Simulation result in Magmasoft showing the temperature profiles at the beginning and at the
end of the filling.
Chemical analysis of Si, Mn, P and Cr were performed using the X-ray fluorescence
spectroscopy technique on the Shimadzu XRF 1500 equipment. The determination of
C and S contents was carried out by direct combustion and IF detection in the LECO
CS 300 equipment. The results of chemical analysis are presented in Table 2Table 2. Formatado: Fonte: 12 pt, Não
Table 2. Chemical composition of Hadfield steels
Alloy %C %Mn %Si %Mo %P %S

5-Mn 1,3 4,6 0,78 0,66 0,026 0,026
8-Mn 1,25 8,2 0,5 0,77 0,020 0,020
12-Mn
1,20 11,5 0,6 0,85 0,020 0,020
(Reference)
15-Mn 1,3 15,2 0,35 0,88 0,017 0,025
18-Mn 1,23 17,8 0,60 0,80 0,052 0,020
The solubilization heat treatment was performed at 1120ºC for 5 hours, followed by
quenching in a stirred water tank.
Metallographic samples were prepared using conventional techniques with etching in [ea3] Comentário: From each casting a
slice was cut using???? and from this a
Nital 3 % (3 ml HNO3 + 97 ml ethyl alcohol). The macrostructures were observed metallographic test piece was obtained in
the region from xx mm to yy mm from the
using a stereomicroscope and the microstructures were analyzed using the optical surface.
microscope and the scanning electron microscope (SEM) Jeol JSM 6300.
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2.2 Impact and abrasion tests
The specimens for the V-notched Charpy impact testing were cut and prepared by
electrical discharge machining (EDM), with geometry and dimensions given by
ASTM-E23 standard. The Charpy impact tests were performed on a Wolpert PW
30/15 machine at room temperature (23ºC), using a load of 294 J.
The fracture surfaces of Charpy and wear test specimens were examined in the
scanning electron microscope, while the microstructural characterization of the
regions near their fracture surfaces was carried out using optical and scanning
microscope.
The wear tests were performed in the rubber wheel abrasion test based on the ASTM
G65 standard. The abrasive was silica sand with grain size between 0.30 and 0.60
mm (N50) and average grain size of 0.45 mm. Figure 3 shows a scheme of the test. [ea4] Comentário: ?
The sample is pressed against the rotating wheel by a dead-weight loaded lever. The
samples were cleaned, before and after each test in an ultrasonic alcohol bath for 10
minutes, dried with compressed air and weighed on an electronic scale. The mass
loss of the samples was obtained by the difference between the mass of the sample
before and after the test All samples were submitted to the same grinding process to
ensure the parallelism and similar initial roughness of the surfaces.
[GTDA5] Comentário: Citar a fonte ou

você fez a figura?
Figure 3. Rubber wheel wear test. Ref: Hutchings e Steverson, 1996 [16].
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3. Results and Discussion
3.1 Microstructural characterization
The microstructures obtained after the solubilization heat treatment at 1120oC for
5h and water quenching are shown in figures 4-a, 4-b, 4-c, 4-d and 4-e. The heat
treatment was effective, resulting in an essentially austenitic microstructures without
reprecipitation of carbides in the grain boundaries. In addition, MnS particles,
identified through analysis by EDS / SEM (figure 5), are observed in the
microstructure.
(a) 200x, 5Mn (b) 200x, 8Mn
(c)12Mn, 200x (d)15Mn, 200x
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(e)18Mn, 200x
Figure 4. Microstructural characterization of Hadfield steel with different manganese content

(a)5%Mn (b) 8%Mn, (c)12%Mn, (d) 15%Mn and (e) 18%Mn. Optical microscopy, 200x.
element weight % atomic %

SK 36.61 49.74
Mn K 63.39 50.26
Figure 5. EDS chemical microanalysis spectrum of the Hadfield steel 12%Mn. (a) SEM image
of the region where the EDS microanalysis was performed and (b) chemical composition
obtained by EDS microanalysis.
3.2 Mechanical test results
3.2.1 Hardness and Impact energy results
Figure 6 shows the hardness of the materials. The hardness values found are similar
to the values reported [1–8] for austenitic manganese steel for these same chemical
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composition ranges. All alloys presented similar hardness values, varying between
217 HV and 226 HV. This result was expected since one of the main factors to
promote hardness variations is the carbon content, which in the present study was
kept in a narrow range, between 1.2 and 1.3%.
Figure 6. Hardness (HV10Kgf) of Hadfield steel alloys.
Figure 7 show the impact test results. The steel with 15% Mn presented the highest
value of absorbed energy (249J), followed by the steel with the higher Mn content
(1.2% C and 18% Mn, 225J). The steel with the lowest manganese content (5% Mn)
presented the lowest impact resistance. The impact toughness results showed a
tendency to increase with the amount of Mn, up to an optimum value about 15%Mn.
Gürol and Kurnaz [14] found similar behavior, studying Hadfield steels with Mn
contents of 13%, 17% and 21%. The authors showed that the impact resistance
increased form 13% to 17% Mn and decreased from 17% to 21% Mn. The impact
toughness is dependent on the chemical composition, but also on other
microstructural characteristics, such as the presence of inclusions, porosities,
carbides precipitates in the austenitic grain boundaries [10–14]) and the grain size
(higher values tends to reduce the impact resistance [7,11]).
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Figure 7. Charpy impact energy (J) of Hadfield steel alloys.
3.2.1 Wear tests

The mass losses of the steels in the abrasive wear tests are presented in Figure 8.
The Hadfield Steel class F (8%Mn) presented the lowest mass loss and the steel with
5%Mn presented the highest mass loss. The steels with 12%Mn, 15%Mn and
18%Mn presented similar mass losses. A possible explanation for the result of the
8%Mn steel is that austenitic manganese steels with lower manganese (6-8%)
content tends to work-harden more, associated to the friction induced martensitic
transformation [15] due to less stability of the austenite matrix.
Figure 8. Mass loss after abrasion tests.
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In general, increasing the resistance to abrasive wear of steels occurs at the expense
of impact toughness or the increase in impact toughness is associated with a
reduction in wear resistance. For example, comparing the steel 8%Mn with the steel
12%Mn, it is possible to increase the wear resistance selecting the steel 8%Mn, but
with reduced impact resistance. On the other hand, when comparing 12%Mn steel
with the alloys with the higher amount of Mn (15%Mn and 18%Mn) it is possible to
notice that impact resistance increased by 25% and 12%, respectively, however
there was no reduction in abrasive wear resistance. This can be an important result
for the selection of materials for crushers. Varela et al. [18] analyzed wear parts of
roller crushers and noted that the main mode of mass loss of the surface is due to
impact damage, rather than grooving abrasion.
Table 3 – Results of Hadfield steel alloys mechanical properties
Hardness HV (10 Kgf) Charpy impact energy (J)

Weigth loss (mg)
Alloy
5,0-Mn 218 ± 6 52 ± 5 870 ± 24
8-Mn 218 ± 8 120 ± 8 710 ± 18
12-Mn 223 ± 4 199 ± 10 790 ± 52
15-Mn 226 ± 5 249 ± 21 790 ± 29
18-Mn 217 ± 6 225 ± 22 820 ± 102
3.2.2 Microfractographic examination
The microfractographic aspects of the impact test pieces (with 5% and 15%Mn) are
shown in Figures 9 and 10. Figures 9-a and 10-a show regions with ductile fracture
by dimples, featuring two different diameters for the dimples (around 5 µm and 2 µm).
Figures 9-b and 10-b present flat regions containing parallel lines (suggesting the
activation of the twinning mechanism.
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Figure 9. Microfractographic examination of Hadfield steel (5%Mn) after the impact testing, featuring
ductile fracture with the presence of dimples (a) and mechanical twins (b), SEM, SEI.
Figure 10. Microfractographic examination of Hadfield steel (15%Mn) after the impact testing,
featuring ductile fracture with the presence of dimples (a) and mechanical twins (b), SEM, SEI.
Figures 11 and 12 show the microstructure of transversal cross-sections adjacent to

the fracture surfaces of the impact specimens. The presence of mechanical twins
was observed for both manganese steels (with 5 and 15%), but the density of the
mechanical twinning was higher in the Hadfield steel with 15%Mn in comparison with
the Hadfield steel with the lowest Mn content. These results indicate that the the
higher manganese contents increased the proportion of plastic deformation in
Hadfield steels.
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Figura 11. Microstructural characterization of the transversal section adjacent to the fracture surface
of the impact specimens of the Hadfield steel with 5%Mn. (a) and (b) Mechanical twins. Optical
microscopy.
Figura 12. Microstructural characterization of the transversal section adjacent to the fracture surface
of the impact specimens of the Hadfield steel with 15%Mn. (a) and (b) Mechanical twins. Optical
microscopy.
3 CONCLUSION
 The solubilization heat treatment was efficient for the dissolution of

carbides and obtaining an essentially austenitic matrix for all studied
alloys.
 The highest impact resistance values were obtained for alloys with higher
Mn contents in comparison with the reference Hadfield steel (12%Mn).
 The alloy with 15% Mn presented the greatest impact resistance in
comparison with the others analyzed alloys.
 The lowest mass loss value was obtained for Hadfield steel with 8%Mn,
followed by 12 and 15%Mn Hadfield steels.
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 The plastic deformation by twinning, which was promoted by manganese
addition, played a significant role on the improvement of the mechanical
properties of the cast Hadfield steel.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the support of the Vale S.A. (Brazil) for the project and
the Institute of Technological Research (IPT, Brazil).
4 REFERENCES
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of manganese steel. The Royal Society Journal of the History of Science.1985;40(1):63-
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Castings, Austenitic Manganese. West Conshohocken: ASTM International; 2012.
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International Journal of Cast Metals Research. 1979;4(2):62-77.
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Institute; 1995.
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carbide reprecipitation kinetics of Hadfield austenitic manganese steel. Transactions of
the American Foundry Society. 2012;120:507-522.
7 Kuyucak S, Zavadil R, Newcombe P. On the heat-treatment of Hadfield's austenitic
manganese steels Part I - VIII. AFS Special Report. Schaumburg: American Foundry
Society; 2001.
8 Dastur YN, Leslie WC. Mechanism of work hardening in Hadfield manganese steel.
Metallurgical Transactions A. 1981;12(5):749-759.
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12 Souad A, Kaleli H, H. Ali. Microstructure and wear behavior of a Cr-Mo-Nb alloyed
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Effect of Manganese Content On The Wear Resistance and Impact Properties of Hadfield Steel

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Effect of Manganese Content On The Wear Resistance and Impact Properties of Hadfield Steel

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EFFECT OF MANGANESE CONTENT ON THE WEAR

RESISTANCE AND IMPACT PROPERTIES OF HADFIELD

Keywords: Hadfield steel; impact energy; wear.

2 Materials and Methods

2.1 Casting samples

Simulations were performed using the Thermo-calc software to predict the

Table 1. Thermo-calc simulation results.

5-Mn 1408 1213 195 915

8-Mn 1400 1200 200 920

18-Mn 1360 1157 203 923

In the simulations carried out on Magmasoft, the following characteristics were

• Occurrence of turbulence during filling;

• Mold filling time and temperature at the end of filling;

• Sequence of solidification of the specimen and soundness of the cast specimen.

Figure 1. Hadfield steels castings with 100 mm x 75 mm x (55-45) mm.

Table 2. Chemical composition of Hadfield steels

Alloy %C %Mn %Si %Mo %P %S

[GTDA5] Comentário: Citar a fonte ou

3.1 Microstructural characterization

(a) 200x, 5Mn (b) 200x, 8Mn

(c)12Mn, 200x (d)15Mn, 200x

Figure 4. Microstructural characterization of Hadfield steel with different manganese content

element weight % atomic %

3.2 Mechanical test results

3.2.1 Hardness and Impact energy results

Figure 6. Hardness (HV10Kgf) of Hadfield steel alloys.

3.2.1 Wear tests

Figure 8. Mass loss after abrasion tests.

Table 3 – Results of Hadfield steel alloys mechanical properties

Hardness HV (10 Kgf) Charpy impact energy (J)

3.2.2 Microfractographic examination

Figures 11 and 12 show the microstructure of transversal cross-sections adjacent to

 The solubilization heat treatment was efficient for the dissolution of

1 Hadfield's manganese steel. Science. 1888;12(306):284-286.

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