Carbon & Alloy Steels

Images
Frauke Hogue

Annealed
 .03% C
 ferrite only
 rounded grains
 HRB 80

 Y1

500x
Frauke Hogue Fe 1

1
 1020
Furnace
Cooled
 .20% C
 appr. 25 % pearlite
 appr. 75 % ferrite
 HRB 82

500x
Frauke Hogue Fe 2a

1020 Air
Cooled
 .20% C
 faster cooling than
previous sample
 pearlite is finer
 MnS inclusions
 HRB 85

500x
Frauke Hogue Fe 2b

2
 1040
Furnace
Cooled
 .40 % C
 appr. 50 % pearlite
 appr. 50 % ferrite
 HRB 87

500x
Frauke Hogue Fe 3a

1040 Air
Cooled
 0.40% C
 spacing of pearlite
lamellae is finer
 ratio of ferrite to
pearlite stays the
same
 HRB 89

500x
Frauke Hogue Fe 3b

3
 1080
Furnace
Cooled
 .80 % C
 100 % pearlite
 HRB 89

500x
Frauke Hogue Fe 4a

1080 Air
Cooled
 .80 % C
 faster cooling =
narrower pearlite
lamellas
 HRC 24

500x
Frauke Hogue Fe 4b

4
 1020 1040 1080

Frauke Hogue

1.13 % C
 1.13 % C
 small amount of
cementite
 rest pearlite
 HRC 28

 Y4

500x
Frauke Hogue Fe 5

5
 Spheroidized
Annealed
 1.3 % C
 globular cementite
 ferrite grain
boundaries
 equiaxed grains
 HRB 95

 Y5

1000x
Frauke Hogue Fe 6a

Spheroidized
Annealed
 1.3 % C
 Picral
 NO grain boundaries
 Globular cementite
(pink)
 HRB 95

 Y5

1000x
Frauke Hogue Fe 6b

6
 1.3% C
 pearlite
 Fe3C network
 iron carbide is pink in
comparison to ferrite
 hyper-eutectoid steel
 HRC 23

 X 20

500x
Frauke Hogue Fe 7

Annealed
& Cold
Worked
 8740 for heading
 spheroidized
cementite
 elongated grains
 ferrite grain
boundaries
 HRC 25

1000x
Frauke Hogue Fe 8a

7
 Annealed
& Cold
Worked
 8740 for heading
 picral does not show
grain boundaries
 unable to tell if
material is worked

1000x
Frauke Hogue Fe 8b

Normalized
 4145
 Ferrite (white)
 Pearlite (dark)
 HRC 32

1000x
Frauke Hogue Fe 9

8
 Low Carbon
Quenched
 low carbon steel,
0.2% carbon
 lath martensite
 MnS inclusions
 HRC 44

1000x
Frauke Hogue Fe 10a

Low Carbon
Quenched &
Tempered
 1020, 0.2% carbon
 tempered at 7000F
(370ºC)
 less defined lath
martensite
 HRC 35

1000x
Frauke Hogue Fe 10b

9
 Low Carbon
Quenched &
Tempered
 1020, 0.20%carbon
 tempered at 10000F
(540ºC)
 almost difficult to
distinguish
martensite
 low hardness, high
ductility
 HRC 31

1000x
Frauke Hogue Fe 10c

1020 Quenched - Quenched & Tempered

Frauke Hogue

10
 Med.
Carbon
Quenched
 medium carbon steel
(8740)
 as quenched or
untempered
martensite
 sharply outlined
needles
 mixture of plate and
lath
 HRC 57

1000x
Frauke Hogue Fe 11a

Med. Carbon
Quenched &
Tempered
 medium carbon steel
(8740)
 tempered martensite
 mixture of plate and
lath martensite
 HRC 44

1000x
Frauke Hogue Fe 11b

11
 Med.
Carbon
Quenched &
Tempered
 8740 – medium
carbon steel
 tempered at 10000F
(540ºC)
 martensite less
distinct
 HRC 40

1000x
Frauke Hogue Fe 11c

8740 Quenched - Quenched & Tempered

Frauke Hogue

12
 High
Carbon
Quenched
 .81 % C
 untempered
martensite
 sharply outlined
needles
 mainly plate
martensite
 HRC 64

 Y6

1000x
Frauke Hogue Fe 12a

High
Carbon
Quenched &
Tempered
 .81 % C
 tempered at 675oF
(350ºc)
 tempered plate
martensite
 needles softer
looking
 needles less defined
 HRC 46
 Y7
1000x
Frauke Hogue Fe 12b

13
 High
Carbon
Quenched &
Tempered
 .81 % C
 tempered at 1075o F
(580ºC)
 tempered martensite
 mainly plate martensite
 less defined needles
than Y 7
 HRC 37

 Y8
1000x
Frauke Hogue Fe 12c

High Carbon – Quenched - Quenched & Tempered

Frauke Hogue

14
 Tempering / Hardness

x
Y6

Y7
x

Y8
x

Frauke Hogue

51100 Steel
Annealed

 1.00 % C
 hyper-eutectoid
composition
 spheroidized
cementite
 globular carbides
 ferrite grain
boundaries
 soft, workable
 HRB 91

 Y 71
1000x
Frauke Hogue Fe 13a

15
 51100 Steel
Q&T
 1.00 % C
 hyper-eutectoid
composition
 fine plate martensite
 globular carbides
 good wear resistance
 bearing material
 HRC 60-62

 Y 72

1000x
Frauke Hogue Fe 13b

52100
Steel
 1.00 % C
 hyper-eutectoid
composition
 very fine, well defined
plate martensite
 globular carbides
 high hardness
 bearing steel
 HRC 65

1000x
Frauke Hogue Fe 14

16
 Retained
Austenite
 1.13 % C
 oil quenched
 untempered
martensite (blue &
brown)
 retained austenite
(white)
 MF is below room
temperature
 HRC 60

 Y 11

1000x
Frauke Hogue Fe 15

Amount of Retained Austenite

Frauke Hogue

17
 Upper
Bainite
 .84 % C
 quenched to 750o F
(400ºC), held for 40
sec, water quench
 upper bainite,
feathery (dark)
 untempered
martensite (brown)
 properties more like
pearlite
 HRC 51

 Y9

500x
Frauke Hogue Fe 16

Lower
Bainite
 .74 % C
 quenched to 550o F
(300ºC), held for 15
min, water quench
 lower bainite, needle
like (dark)
 untempered
martensite (light
brown)
 properties more like
martensite
 HRC 58

 Y 10
500x
Frauke Hogue Fe 17

18
 Bainite

Frauke Hogue

Martensite
& Carbides
 1.13 % C
 globular cementite
(white)
 fine martensite matrix
 quenched from below
Acm
 MnS inclusion (gray)
 HRC 65

 Y 12

1000x
Frauke Hogue Fe 18

19
 Martensite
& Ferrite
 .33 % C
 furnace cool to
1375oF (750º), above
A1
 water quench
 ferrite (white)
 lath martensite
 HRC 47

 Y 14

500x
Frauke Hogue Fe 19

Martensite & Ferrite

Frauke Hogue

20
 Induction
Hardening
 .44 % C
 NO chemical change
in the surface
 narrow transition, no
diffusion of heat
 depth and location of
hardening can be
controlled

 Y 15

50x

Frauke Hogue Fe 20

Induction
Hardening
 CORE: tempered to
HRC 40
 CASE: tempered to
HRC 58
 ductile core with hard
surface

 Y 15

Frauke Hogue Fe 20

21
 Carburizing

 .16 % C
 C diffuses into the
surface
 time dependant
process
 very gradual
transition
 microhardness to
determine depth

 Y 16
100x
Frauke Hogue Fe 21

Case

Carburizing
 .16 % C in core
 high C on surface,
hyper-eutectoid
 HRC 29
1000x  low C in core, hypo-
eutectoid
Core
 HRB 66

 Y 16

1000x
Frauke Hogue Fe 21

22
 Carburizing
Q&T
 low C steel
 very gradual
transition
 micro hardness is the
only reliable method
to determine effective
(HRC 50) or total case
depth

100x

Frauke Hogue Fe 22

Carburizing
Q&T
 low C steel
 CORE: ferrite &
pearlite
 soft and ductile
 HRC 22
 CASE: plate
martensite
 hard and wear
resistant
 HRC 49
 MnS inclusions (gray)

1000x 1000x Frauke Hogue Fe 22

23
 Nitriding
 medium C steel
 N diffuses into the
surface
 surface becomes
hard
 white layer should be
minimized

100x
Frauke Hogue Fe 23

case

Nitriding
 nitride case etches
dark
 nitrides at grain
boundaries (white)
 HRC 68
 continuous nitride
network is
core detrimental
 low carbon
martensite in core
 HRC 40

1000x
Frauke Hogue Fe 23

24
 Decarburization
 .81 % C
 C is removed from
the surface
 takes place at high
temperature by
diffusion
 very gradual
transition
 use microhardness to
determine depth of
decarburization

 Y 17

100x
Frauke Hogue Fe 24

surface
Decarburization
Annealed
 .81 % C
 case: appr. 20%
pearlite = .2% C
lower hardness
1000x lower strength
core HRB 83
 core: 100% pearlite
higher hardness
higher strength
HRC 32

 Y 17

1000x Frauke Hogue

Fe 24

25
 Decarburization
Q&T

 8650 steel
 decarburized area
etches lighter
 C is removed from
surface
 less carbon – less
strength
 surface - HRB 78
 core - HRC 56

100x
Frauke Hogue Fe 25

Case
Decarburization
Q&T

 8650 steel
 complete
decarburization
1000x  case: ferrite only
Core HRB 78
 core: tempered
martensite
HRC 56

1000x Frauke Hogue Fe 25

26
 Decarburization
Partial

 crest of the thread

etches lighter
 indicating lower C
content

100x
Frauke Hogue Fe 26

Case
Decarburization
Partial
 case: light etching,
low carbon
martensite
 HRB 92

1000x
Core
 core: dark etching
medium carbon
martensite
 HRC 41

1000x Frauke Hogue Fe 26

27
 Cd Plating / Zn Plating

prepared not removing Zn/Cd plating, same part,

looks like decarburization Zn/Cd removed before mounting

Frauke Hogue Fe 27

Hot Rolled
Steel
 steel is rolled ABOVE
the recrystallization
temperature
 stringers of
inclusions
 NO cold work visible
 grains are equiaxed
 HRB 75

1000x
Frauke Hogue Fe 28

28
 Cold Rolled
Steel
 Steel is rolled BELOW
the recrystallization
temperature
 highly elongated
grains
 pearlite colonies
elongated
 Ti-carbo-nitride
 HRC 33

1000x
Frauke Hogue Fe 29

Cold Worked
Ferrite/Pearlite

 compressed grains in
the root

200x
Frauke Hogue Fe 30

29
 Cold
worked
Martensite
 root shows grain flow
 martensite is
elongated
 compressive stress
increases fatigue life

200x
Frauke Hogue Fe 31

Prior
Austenite
Grain Size
 can be revealed
through special
etching
 fine (5-8) = tougher,
less quench cracks,
lower internal stress,
less retained
austenite

500x
Frauke Hogue Fe 32a

30
 Prior
Austenite
Grain Size
 same part etched with
Nital
 prior austenite
grainsize no longer
visible

500x
Frauke Hogue Fe 32b

Spring
Steel
 0.55 C, 1.7 Si, 0.81
Mn
 quenched & tempered
 tempered martensite
 HRC 42

 Y 81

500x
Frauke Hogue Fe 33

31
 Silicon
Steel
 0.01 C, 3.02 Si,
 annealed
 large ferrite grains
 HRB 75

 Y 85

100x
Frauke Hogue Fe 34

Free
Machining
Steel
 1137
 annealed
 ferrite & pearlite
 large and small MnS
inclusions in rolling
direction
 HRB 78

200x
Frauke Hogue Fe 35

32
 Cast Steel
 0.16 % carbon
 80% ferrite
20% pearlite
 MnS inclusions
 no rolling direction
visible
 HRB 90

200x
Frauke Hogue Fe 36

Continuous
Cast Slab
 .13% C
 center of 12” slab
 ferrite plates
 Widmanstatten ferrite
 pearlite between
ferrite
 slow cooling rates
 HRB 73

100x
Frauke Hogue Fe 37

33
 A 216 Cast
Steel
 .25 - .30% C
 ferrite/pearlite
 ferrite solidifies first,
dendritic
 pearlite at
interdendritic spaces
 HRB 64

200x
Frauke Hogue Fe 38

High Mn
Steel
 1.1 C, 12.3 Mn
 water quenched
 austenitic structure
 very wear resistant
 Hadfield steel
 etched with Nital!
 HRB 91

 Y83

200x
Frauke Hogue Fe 39

34
 Alnico-V

 7.8 Al, 15.3 Ni, 25.1

Co, 1.5 Ti, 3.3 Cu
 cast and aged
 alpha phase
 HRB 90

 Y84

200x
Frauke Hogue Fe 40

Wrought
Iron

 ferrite matrix
 slag - iron silicate
 low ductility because
of slag stringers
 fracture is woody
 HRB 86

100x
Frauke Hogue Fe 41

35
 Widmanstätten
Structure
 .30 % C
 furnace cooled from
2300o F (1250ºC)
 acicular ferrite (white)
 forms along certain
crystallographic
planes
 pearlite (dark)
 very large grain size

 Y 18

500x
Frauke Hogue Fe 42

Meteorite
Gibeon
 7.9 % Ni
 ferrite plates
 very, very slow
cooling rates
 1-100oF per million
years
 color etch with
Klemm I

25x
Frauke Hogue Fe 43

36