COMPARISON OF HARDNESS FOR MILD STEEL AFTER

NORMALIZING AND HARDENING PROCESSES

ABSTRACT

Heat Treatment is the controlled heating and cooling of metals to alter their physical and
mechanical properties without changing the product shape. Heat treatment is sometimes done
inadvertently due to manufacturing processes that either heat or cool the metal such as
welding or forming. Heat treatment is often associated with increasing the strength of
material, but it can also be used to alter certain manufacturability objectives such as improve
machining, improve formability, restore ductility after a cold working operation. Thus it is a
very enabling manufacturing process that can not only help other manufacturing process, but
can also improve product performance by increasing strength or other desirable
characteristics.

Comparison will be carried out between two of the major heat treatment processes,

Normalizing: Heating to a suitable temperature, holding long enough to reduce residual

stresses, and then cooling slowly enough to minimize the development of new
residual stresses.

Hardening: Quenching can be done by plunging the hot steel in water. The water adjacent to
the hot steel vaporizes, and there is no direct contact of the water with the steel.
This slows down cooling until the bubbles break and allow water contact with
the hot steel.

These two processes have their own peculiar behaviours and effects on the steel.
A detailed study of the effects of these heat treatment processes on the given steel material is
carried out and is compared on the basis of the hardness.

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 INTRODUCTION

MILD STEEL

Mild steel is used in 85% of all steel products in the Indian sub-continent. This overwhelming
market demand makes it the cheapest form of steel available. With such widespread usage,
the knowledge of its properties is necessary for anybody who's into the manufacturing
business or a student of metallurgy.

An alloy is a mixture of metals and non-metals, designed to have specific properties. These
metallurgical innovations make it possible to compensate for the shortcomings of a pure
metal by adding other elements.

Steel is any alloy of iron, consisting of 0.2% to 2.1% of carbon, as a hardening agent. Besides
carbon, many other metals are a part of it. They include chromium, manganese, tungsten and
vanadium. Other than a maximum limit of 2% carbon in the manufacture of carbon steel, the
proportions of manganese (1.65%), copper (0.6%) and silicon (0.6%) are fixed, while the
proportions of cobalt, chromium, niobium, molybdenum, titanium, nickel, tungsten,
vanadium and zirconium are not. What is known as mildest grade of carbon steel or mild steel
is typically the variety which has a comparatively low amount of carbon (0.05% - 0.26%).

General purpose steel bars for machining, suitable for lightly stressed components including
studs, bolts, gears and shafts. Often specified where weldability is a requirement. Can be
case-hardened to improve wear resistance. Available in bright rounds, squares and flats, and
hot rolled rounds. Can be supplied in sawn blanks, and bespoke size blocks.
Some industrial scale Mild steel varieties are:
BS970 1983 on, PD970 2005 080A15, 080M15, 070M20.
BS970 1955 EN3A, EN3B, EN32B.
BSEN10083 C22, BS EN10084 C15/C16.
Werkstoff 1.0401, 1.0426, 1.0402, 1.1140, 1.1141, 1.1148, 1.1149, 1.1151, 1.1208.
Related grades SAE 1015/1017/1020/1023.
PROPERTIES OF MILD STEEL

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Density = 7850 Kg/m3

Youngs Modulus = 210 GPa

Poissons Ratio = 0.33

Coefficient of Thermal Expansion = 1.2 10-5 / C

Specific Heat = 434 J/Kg-C

Thermal Conductivity = 60.5 W/m-C

Resistivity = 1.7 10-7 ohm m

Tensile Yield Strength = 2.5 108 Pa

Tensile Ultimate Strength = 4.6 108 Pa

Melting point = 16000 C

Some other significant properties exhibited by mild steel material are toughness, ductility,
malleability, good tensile strength, poor resistance to corrosion etc,.

Heat treatment procedures can be employed both to reduce and enhance the toughness
characteristic of a ferrous material. Two of the most important of the Heat treatment
processes are Normalizing and Hardening.

Normalizing is accomplished by heating the steel to a temperature above the transformation

range and into the range of complete austenite. This is dependent on the composition of the
steel as indicated by the iron-carbon diagram shown below. The usual normalizing
temperature ranges from 815C to 980C (1500F to 1800F), depending on the steel
involved.

HEAT TREATMENT

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Ferrous alloys, which are based on iron-carbon alloys, include plain-carbon steels, alloy and
tool steels, stainless steels, and cast irons. These are the most widely used materials in the
world. In the history of civilization, these materials made their mark by defining the Iron Age.
Steels typically are produced in two ways: by refining iron ore or by recycling scrap steel.

In producing primary steel, iron ore (processed to contain 50 to 70% iron oxide, Fe 2O3 or
Fe3O4) is heated in a blast furnace in the presence of coke (a form of carbon) and oxygen. The
iron oxide is reduced into a crude molten iron known as hot metal or pig iron. At about
16000C, this material contains about 95% iron; 4% carbon; 0.3% to 0.9% silicon; 0.5%
Manganese; and 0.025% to 0.05% of sulphur, phosphorus, and titanium. Slag is a by-product
of the blast furnace process. It contains silica, CaO, and other impurities in the form of a
silicate melt.

Proper heat treatment temperatures for steels

The dividing point between steels and cast irons is 2.11% C, where the eutectic reaction
becomes possible. For steels, we concentrate on the eutectoid portion of the diagram in which

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the solubility lines and the eutectoid isotherm are specially identified. The A3 shows the
temperature at which ferrite starts to form on cooling; the Acm shows the temperature at which
cementite starts to form; and the A1 is the eutectoid temperature.

Expanded version of Fe-C phase diagram

NORMALIZING

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This is used as a finishing treatment for carbon steels giving higher strength than annealing.
There is no serious loss of ductility too. Heating and soaking in this process is same as in the
full annealing but part is allowed to cool in air so that cooling rate is much faster. An
annealing heat treatment called normalizing is used to refine the grains (i.e., to decrease the
average grain size) and produce a more uniform and desirable size distribution. Fine grained
pearlite steels are tougher than coarse-grained ones.

The fine grain structure increases the yield and ultimate strengths, hardness and impact
strength. Normalizing is accomplished by heating at approximately 55 to 85C above the
upper critical temperature, which is, of course dependent on composition. Normalizing often
applied to castings and forgings is stress relieving process.

To some extent, it increases strength of medium carbon steel. It improves machinability,

when applied to low carbon steel. Alloy steels in which the austenite is present is termed
austenizing is very stable can be normalized to produce hard martensitic structure. Cooling in
air produces high rate of cooling which can decompose the austenitic structures in such steels
and martensite is produced. This increases the hardness to great extent.

Normalizing heating and cooling curve

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The advantages of this method are:

In comparison to fully annealed material, normalizing produces stronger material.

Normalizing refines the grains.
Normalizing produces homogenised structure.
Normalizing is used to improve properties of steel castings instead of hardening and
tempering.
Strength and hardness are increased.
Better surface finish is obtained in machining.
Resistance to brittle fracture is increased in hot-rolled steel.
Crack propagation is checked.

(a) Mild Steel before Normalizing

(b) Mild Steel after Normalizing

HARDENING

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It is a kind of heat treatment which forms a non-equilibrium structure in an alloy. Non-
equilibrium structures can be produced by heat treatment only in cases when the alloy being
treated undergoes certain transformations in solid solutions, decomposition of a high-
temperature solid solution by eutectoid reaction, etc. To form a non-equilibrium structure in
an alloy, it is heated above the temperature of the phase transformation in the solid state and
then cooled (chilled) quickly; fast cooling is essential for preventing the equilibrium
transformation during cooling. Structural and tool-making alloys are hardened in order to
increase their strength. Alloys undergoing a eutectoid transformation under the equilibrium
conditions can be strengthened by hardening quite substantially. Their strength increases
either due to the martensitic phase change or due to a reduction of the temperature of
eutectoid reaction; in both cases there forms a fine grained eutectoid mixture.

If the hardening procedure has resulted in that the metal at room temperature (20-25C) has
the fixed state of high temperature solid solution, the strengthening effect immediately after
hardening is insignificant; it will be pronounced mainly on a repeated low-temperature
heating or after holding at 20-25C. In alloys possessing special properties, hardening makes
it possible to change the structure-sensitive physical and chemical properties, for instance
increases the electric resistance, coercive force or corrosion resistance.

Hardening is carried out by quenching steel that is cooling it rapidly from a temperature
above the transformation temperature. Steel is quenched in water or brine for the most rapid
cooling, in oil for some alloy steels, and in air for certain higher alloy steels. With this fast
cooling rate, the transformation from austenite to pearlite cannot occur and the new phase
obtained by quenching is called marten site. Martensite is a supersaturated metastable phase
and has body centered tetragonal lattice (bct) instead of bcc. After steel is quenched, it is
usually very hard and strong but brittle. Martensite looks needle-like under microscope due to
its fine lamellar structure.

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 SALT BATH QUENCHNG

The modern molten salt bath is the ideal medium for low-distortion, interrupted quenching
processes such as martempering and austempering.

Molten salts have been used for quenching for more than 50 years. Their wide operating
temperature range makes them ideal for many quenching processes aimed at minimizing
distortion of iron and steel parts. Their unique characteristics coupled with recent advances
in salt quality, pollution abatement, and material handling makes salt bath quenching more
efficient and economical than ever before.

This article provides an overview of todays salt quenching systems, including their safety
and environmental aspects. It also covers the use of salt bath quenching in low distortion,
interrupted quenching processes such as martempering and austempering.
Quenching and distortion
In metal quenching, a part is cooled from the austenitizing temperature fast enough to avoid
the pearlite nose of the materials time-temperature-transformation (TTT) diagram and to
transform the austenite into martensite to the maximum extent possible. When the quenching
medium is water, brine, a polymer solution, or fast oil, it is generally referred to as
conventional quenching. Steels with low hardenability can be quenched this way. However,
this method can cause distortion and in some cases, non-uniform hardness or even cracking.
The tendency to distort increases with increase in steel hardenability.
Causes of distortion usually can be traced to uneven or nonuniform quenching, thermal
stresses, and transformational stresses. These factors often can be mitigated by adopting an
interrupted quenching technique.

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 HARDNESS TEST

Hardness is the property of a material that enables it to resist plastic deformation, usually by
penetration. However, the term hardness may also refer to resistance to bending, scratching,
abrasion or cutting.

Measurement of Hardness

Hardness is not an intrinsic material property dictated by precise definitions in terms of

fundamental units of mass, length and time. A hardness property value is the result of a
defined measurement procedure. Hardness of materials has probably long been assessed by
resistance to scratching or cutting. An example would be material B scratches material C, but
not material A. Alternatively, material A scratches material B slightly and scratches material
C heavily. Similar methods of relative hardness assessment are still commonly used today. An
example is the file test where a file tempered to a desired hardness is rubbed on the test
material surface. If the file slides without biting or marking the surface, the test material
would be considered harder than the file. If the file bites or marks the surface, the test
material would be considered softer than the file.

Vickers Hardness Test

The Vickers hardness test method consists of indenting the test material with a diamond
indenter, in the form of a right pyramid with a square base and an angle of 136 degrees
between opposite faces subjected to a load of 1 to 100 kgf. The full load is normally applied
for 10 to 15 seconds. The two diagonals of the indentation left in the surface of the material
after removal of the load are measured using a microscope and their average calculated. The
area of the sloping surface of the indentation is calculated. The Vickers hardness is the
quotient obtained by dividing the kgf load by the square mm area of indentation.

d = (d1 + d2)/2

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Formula to calculate Vickers Hardness Number,

F= Load in kgf
d = Arithmetic mean of the two diagonals, d1 and d2 in mm
HV = Vickers hardness

The Vickers hardness number is calculated and since low carbon steel is worked upon,
Rockwell C scale hardness is represented as the primary estimation of the hardness of the
samples.

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 EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE

AIM : Conducting Normalizing and Hardening processes on Mild steel specimen

Conducting suitable hardness tests

APPARATUS: Vickerss hardness testing machine, Muffle furnace

MATERIALS REQUIRED : Mild Steel slabs 3 nos 3 2.5 1

Brine Solution

PROCEDURAL STEPS:

Label the three Mild steel specimens as Standard, Normalizing and Hardening
specimens

(a) (b) (c)

(a) Standard specimen

(b) Normalized specimen
(c) Hardened specimen

Clean the surfaces of the specimen with proper solvents i.e. water.
Leave the standard specimen untouched and no heat treatment processes is carried out
on it.
Take both Normalizing and Hardening specimens and put them in the furnace to heat up
to 8000C.

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 After the specimens reach 8000C wait for five minutes and remove the Hardening
specimen and introduce it into Brine solution quenching medium.
Now, let the Normalizing specimen to remain in the furnace for about 4 to 6 hours at a
constant temperature.
After 4 to 6 hours take the Normalizing specimen out of the furnace and leave it in a dry
place for air cooling.
After both the Hardening and Normalizing specimens reach the room temperature clean
them thoroughly.
Take the three specimens and perform Vickers hardness test on each specimens for
three sample readings.

Convert the Vickers hardness values into Rockwells C-Scale values.

Compare the Hardness values.

PRECAUTIONS:

Muffle furnace generates heats of very large magnitude. Care must be taken to handle
them
The specimens are to be handled with a pair of tongs only.
Wearing masks and gloves while operating on specimens in the furnace

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 RESULTS

Hardened specimen:

S.No Load 1st 2nd Mean Vickers

diagonal diagonal diagonal hardness
(kgf) (mm) (mm) (mm) (HV)
1 300+10 0.9 1.0 0.95 636.83
2 300+10 1.0 1.0 1.0 574.74

HV = 1.854310/(0.95)2
HV = 636.83

HV = 1.854310/(1.0)2
HV = 574.74

Average Vickers hardness value = 605.785 HV

Rockwells C Scale conversion equivalent = 56 HRC

Normalized specimen:

S.No Load 1st 2nd Mean Vickers

diagonal diagonal diagonal hardness
(kgf) (mm) (mm) (mm) (HV)
1 300+10 1.1 1.2 1.15 434.58
2 300+10 1.1 1.1 1.1 474.99

Average Vickers hardness value = 454.78 HV

Rockwells C Scale conversion equivalent = 43 HRC

HV = 1.854310/(1.15)2
HV = 434.58

HV = 1.854310/(1.1)2
HV = 474.99

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Standard specimen:

S.No Load 1st 2nd Mean Vickers

diagonal diagonal diagonal hardness
(kgf) (mm) (mm) (mm) (HV)
1 300+10 1.4 1.5 1.45 273.36
2 300+10 1.3 1.5 1.4 293.23

Average Vickers hardness value = 283.297 HV

Rockwells C Scale conversion equivalent = 27 HRC

HV = 1.854310/(1.45)2
HV = 273.36

HV = 1.854310/(1.4)2
HV = 293.23

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 CONCLUSIONS

GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION:

OBSERVATIONS:

It is concluded that the Hardened Specimen has the highest value of Hardness = 56 HRC,
so it can be declared as the hardest material of the three specimen.
The Normalized specimen has the moderate Hardness = 43 HRC.
The Standard specimen has the least value of the Hardness = 27 HRC. So, it can be
declared as the softest material of the three specimens

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Laboratory Testing Inc., Rockwell C Hardness conversion

www.turkishengineering.blogspot.in
www.buzzle.com/mild-steel/
www.wikipedia.com
Material Science by S L Kakani and Amit Kakani
Modern Physical Metallurgy and Material Science by R E Smallman and

R J Bishop

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