Hardness Variation and Microstructure Variation
on Heating Treatment of Vanadium Chromium
Mild Steel
EXPLORATORY PROJECT
Submitted by
Bani Singh (22145030)
Artatrana Behera (22145018)
Banoth Kartik (22145032)
Ritika (22144019)
Rajitha Dunga (22144018)
Under the Supervision of
Prof. Dr. Ashok Kumar Mondal
Department of Metallurgical Engg.
INDEX
ABSTRACT............................................................................3
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.........................................................4
THEORY................................................................................5
Vickers Hardness Test.................................................5
Powder Bed Fusion.....................................................7
Maraging Steel............................................................9
PROCEDURE.......................................................................10
RESULTS.............................................................................12
Hardness Variatrion with depth................................12
Microstructure Characterisation…............................15
CONCLUSION.....................................................................18
BIBLIOGRAPHY...................................................................18
ABSTRACT
This report investigates the variation of hardness and
microstructure in vanadium chromium mild steel. Through
controlled experimentation and analysis, the research examines
how different compositions of vanadium and chromium affect the
hardness properties and microstructural characteristics of mild
steel. Various heat treatment processes are applied to observe
changes in hardness and microstructure, providing insights into
the material's mechanical properties and structural integrity. The
findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how alloying
elements influence the performance of mild steel, offering
valuable information for industrial applications where strength
and durability are paramount.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all those
who have contributed to the completion of this research
project. Firstly, I would like to thank my supervisor, Prof.
Dr. Ashok Kumar Mondal for her guidance, feedback, and
support throughout the entire research process. Their
insights and expertise have been invaluable in shaping this
project.
I would also like to extend my appreciation to the
participants who generously gave their time and shared
their experiences and insights, without whom this study
would not have been possible.
Furthermore, I am grateful to Mr. Punendu for their
assistance in data collection and analysis, as well as their
helpful feedback and suggestions.
Thank you all for your contributions to this project.
THEORY
Annealing Process
Annealing is a heat treatment process that changes the physical
and sometimes also the chemical properties of a material to
increase ductility and reduce the hardness to make it more
workable.
An annealing furnace works by heating a material above the
recrystallization temperature and then cooling the material once
it has been held at the desired temperature for a suitable length
of time. The material recrystallizes when it cools, as soon as the
heating process has led to the atomic m
There are three main stages to an annealing process:
Recovery stage.
Recrystallization stage
Grain growth stage
Recovery Stage
During the recovery stage, a furnace or other type of heating
device is used to raise the material to a temperature at which its
internal stresses are relieved.
Recrystallization Stage
During the recrystallization stage, the material is heated above its
recrystallization temperature but below its melting temperature.
This causes new grains to form without any pre-existing tension.
Grain Growth Stage
As the grain grows, the new grains develop fully. This growth is
controlled by letting the material cool down at a certain rate. The
result of completing these three stages is a material with
more ductility and reduced hardness. Subsequent processes,
which can further change the mechanical properties, are
sometimes carried out after the annealing process.
Advantages Of Annealing
The main disadvantage of annealing is that it can be a time-
consuming process, depending on which materials are being
annealed.
Materials with high-temperature requirements can take a
long time to cool sufficiently, especially if they naturally cool
in an annealing furnace.
Applications Of Annealing
Annealing is used in a wide variety of industries where metals
have to be processed into complex structures or processed
several times.
One of the main applications of annealing is reversing the
effects of work hardening.
Annealing is utilized to remove the internal stresses which
occur when welds solidify.
Besides steels, other metals may also benefit from annealing
such as copper, aluminium, and brass.
Tempering
Tempering is a method of heat-treating iron-based alloys, such as
steel to increase their tensile strength. Even though iron-based
metals are hard and brittle by nature, they may be too fragile for
many common applications. It can alter the metal’s hardness,
flexibility, and strength by tempering it.
A temperature below the critical point is used to gently heat the
metal, reducing its brittleness while still preserving its hardness.
The higher the temperature, the more malleable the metal will be.
Advantages of Tempering
By reducing the tension on the metal, tempering makes it
easier to weld or mill.
Increases the material’s elasticity and flexibility at the same
time.
Adding wear-resistant characteristics to the surface or metal
as a whole increases hardness and makes it more resistant to
wear.
Disadvantages of Tempering
Since the temperature range for this tempering process is 400-
600 C, it has low cooling rates in hot conditions.
Stepwise steel tempering can be used for carbon steel products
with small cross-sections.
Vickers Hardness Test
Vickers hardness test uses a square-base diamond pyramid
as the indenter with the included angle between opposite
faces of the pyramid of 136 degree.
Vickers hardness test uses the loads ranging from 1 - 120
kgf, applied for between 10 and 15 seconds.
Figure: Shows the Vickers Hardness Indentation Process.
Vickers hardness number (VHN) is the ratio of load and the
surface area of the indentation.
Where,
– P is the applied load, kg
– L is the average length of diagonals, mm
– θ is the angle between opposite faces of diamond = 136°
Merits:
11Widely used because it provides a continuous scale of
hardness from very soft metals to extremely hard
materials
Because of geometrically similar indentations, VHN is
independent of load
Used in research work for accuracy and precision
measurements
Limitations:
not widely used due to a slower process and requires
careful surface preparation.
Allows greater chance of personal error in the
determination of diagonal length
Figure: Vickers Hardness Testing Machine.
Procedure
Preparation for metallographic observation
1. (i) The given sample was grinded to remove the surface
irregularities.
(ii) After grinding, the sample was paper polished using 3
grades of roughness (1000, 1500, 2000).
(iii) After that, cloth polishing was done to get mirror like
finish.
(iv) The sample was then observed in microstructure for
irregularities.
(v) The sample was then etched using 0.2% Nital and dried.
(vi) Microstructure of sample was then observed through
the microscope.
Vickers Hardness Test
Setup:
The metal component is securely placed under square based
diamond indenter, and the hardness value were measured
using VHN testing machine.
The Vickers hardness values of samples were observed from
Vickers Hardness Tester at 3 kg, 5 kg, 10 kg load of dwell time
10 second. 4-5 reading were taken to check repeatability.
Results
DIMENSIONS OF SAMPLES
SAMPLE NO. Diameter (mm) Height (mm)
1 16.56 6.35
2 16.77 6.65
3 16.65 6.52
Vickers Hardness Measurement:
SAMPLE 1
Load (kg) D1 (um) D2 (um) HV (kg/mm^2) Average
121 120 377
120 121 379
3 380
122 120 379
118 122 384
154 153 390
152 156 387
5 391
153 153 392
151 153 399
214 222 388
214 218 396
10 388
223 218 380
215 220 390
Microstructure Characterization:
Fig. 1. Optical micrographs showing the as-built
microstructure of PBF- LB 18Ni300 Maraging steel.
The as-built microstructure is shown in above (Fig. 1). PBF-LB
laser tracks were clearly visible from the side (Fig. 1a) and
from the top (Fig. 1b).A cellular structure was formed
alongside columns (marked with orange arrows)
perpendicular to laser track boundaries. This fine martensitic
structure was observed in PBF-LB 18Ni300 Maraging steel.
The complex thermal cycle of AM, consisting of fast
solidification and high temperature gradients leads to the
fine microstructures. The ratio between temperature
gradient and growth rate determines the final structure .It
was assumed that the high heat input as a result of small
radial distance from the laser beam centre leads to the
evenly formed cellular structure in the middle of laser tracks .
Additionally, the degree of under-cooling decreases at
the laser track boundaries due to the thermal heat flow from
the centre to the margins. This could prevent the nucleation
of new grains, yet the high crystal growth rate leads to the
columnar growth of fine structures in the thermal flux
direction.
Conclusion:
From the observation and result, we obtained the following
conclusion as:
The investigation into the mechanical properties of PBF-LB
18Ni300 Maraging steel provides valuable insights into its
suitability for various industrial applications. Through Vicker’s
Hardness Testing, both vertical and horizontal samples were
analyzed, revealing distinct patterns in hardness distribution.
In the vertical sample, a consistent trend of increasing
hardness with depth was observed, albeit with minor
deviations possibly attributed to localized material variations.
Conversely, the horizontal sample exhibited fluctuations in
hardness within similar depth ranges, indicating nuanced
material behaviors influenced by sample orientation. These
findings underscore the significance of comprehensive
material characterization to understand the inherent
variability and performance of Maraging steel under different
testing conditions. Moving forward, further research avenues
could explore the underlying factors contributing to observed
variations and their implications for practical applications.
