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Heat Treating

Be Aware of the ‘Fine Print’ In the


Science of Metallurgy of Induction
Hardening: Part 2
Valery Rudnev, Inductoheat Group, Madison Heights, Mich.

Certain metallurgical phenomena and principles of heat treatment


frequently are incorrectly assumed or improperly used in the appli-
cation of induction hardening.

e are reminded in many martensite crystalline structure [1-3]. Figure 1 shows that Ms-Mf temperature
aspects of our lives today Martensite formation is governed by a range is directly related to the steel's car-
to read the "fine print" shear-type (diffusionless) transformation of bon content. The carbon content and
contained in manuals, austenite; that is, the transformation actual amount of martensite formed exclu-
warrantees, instructions, etc., so that we occurs almost instantaneously upon reach- sively determine the maximum hardness of
don't miss important information. ing a certain temperature. given steel. In the range of 0.2 to 0.65%
Important information also is often over- If the continuous cooling transforma- carbon, the hardness of the steel is propor-
looked in the science of metallurgy. While tion (CCT) diagram of steel is shifted far to tional to the carbon content.
there is no fine print, there are metallurgi- the left, the cooling curve will enter the Mf temperatures for plain carbon steels
cal "fine points" and subtleties, which upper transformation start region regard- with high carbon content, cast irons and
require paying close attention. In many less of quench severity, preventing the some alloy steels are well below room tem-
cases, certain metallurgical phenomena capability to obtain an entirely martensitic
and principles of heat treatment are incor- microstructure. In such cases, the final Shape of martensite
Lath +
rectly assumed or improperly used in induc- microstructure of the hardened layer will Lath plate Plate
600
tion hardening. It is important to look consist of a combination of martensite and
500
closer at the “fine points” of metallurgical upper transformation products (e.g.,
Temperature, ˚C

400
theory to ensure optimal results. To illus- pearlite and banite) regardless of the sever-
300 Ms
trate this, following are additional exam- ity of the quench from austenitic tempera-
ples to those discussed in Part 1 of this arti- ture down to ambient temperature. 200

cle (March 2005 IH). Although a fully martensitic structure 100 Mf

might not be obtained, the amount of 0


0 0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6
Is it always possible to obtain a fully upper transformation products can be Carbon content, wt %
martensitic structure of noneutectoid appreciably small and might not noticeably
600
plain carbon steels using severe affect component mechanical properties in
500
water spray quench? certain applications.
400
In hardening applications, the ability to Martensitic transformation occurs over a
Temperature, ˚C

obtain a certain degree of martensitic temperature range between the Ms 300


Ms
structure is often the measure of how suc- (martensite start) to Mf (finish), which 200

cessful the heat treating process was. depends on the particular steel chemical 100
Martensite is a supersaturated solid solu- composition, and from practical perspec- 0
tion of carbon in ferrite with a body-cen- tive, cannot be changed by varying quench Mf
-100
tered tetragonal crystalline (BCT) struc- severity. If cooling upon quenching is inter- -200
ture. Upon rapid cooling, carbon is trapped rupted at a certain temperature within the 0 0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6 2
in the crystal structure. The high hardness martensite transformation range, no further Carbon content, wt %

developed when steel is transformed to transformation to martensite will occur.


Fig. 1. Influence of carbon content on Ms
martensite is due to distortion in the trans- Martensite transformation resumes upon and Mf temperatures. Source: top (Ref. 4,5);
formation from FCC (austenite) to BCT further cooling to a lower temperature. bottom (Ref. 6).

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Heat Treating

perature. Thus, even if quench severity is When discussing hardenability, it is impor- At larger diameters or thicknesses, the
sufficient to miss the upper transformation tant to recognize factors that influence depth of the hardened layer (hardened
region of the CCT diagram, a fully marten- hardness distribution in through hardening depth) also increases. In addition, because
sitic structure will not be obtained within compared with surface hardening. the core is at a greater distance from the
the hardened layer. The existence of a Through hardening (hardening a work- quenched surface, thermal conductivity
noticeable amount of untransformed, or piece through its entire cross section) typi- provides less intense cooling of the core dur-
retained, austenite will be unavoidable cally requires heating the part uniformly to ing surface quenching. At a certain point,
(Fig. 2). Cryogenic treatment can be used the austenitizing temperature range and the CCT curve representing core cooling
to transform the retained austenite into quenching to ambient temperature. During conditions during surface quenching shifts
martensite. Note that a full untempered quenching, the cooling rate at the surface farther to the right (Fig. 3), eventually pass-
martensitic structure has low ductility [1]. always is more intense compared with the ing through an area where transformation
The inability to obtain a fully martensitic rate at internal locations; particularly com- starts at a temperature higher than the Ms
structure is directly related to not having pared with the rate at its core. For a thin temperature. Thus, depending on the cool-
homogeneous austenite. As mentioned in part, the cooling intensity at the core
Part 1 of this article, rapid induction heat- might be severe enough to miss the upper 60

ing can result in inhomogeneous austenite transformation region of the continuous 50

Retained autenite, vol%


with a ferritic/pearlitic network (dependent cooling diagram and to form a sufficient Ref. 6

on chemical composition, prior microstruc- amount of martensite in core, resulting in a 40

ture and process specifics), which remains relatively uniform through-hardened pat- 3
in the as-quenched structure, preventing a tern. Also, because the cooling rate at the Ref. 3
fully martensitic structure. surface is always more intense than that at 20

Nonuniform distribution of carbon is the core, more martensite forms at the sur- 10
another characteristic of inhomogeneous face and subsurface than in the core, result-
0
austenite. After fast heating, a ing in a higher hardness at the surface 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6
ferrite/pearlite network might not exist, (assuming that surface has not been over- Carbon content, wt %
but the austenite phase could consist of heated and severe oxidation and/or decar- Fig. 2. Influence of carbon content on volume
localized regions of enriched carbon and burization did not occur). of retained austenite
reduced carbon. Since both Ms and Mf
temperatures depend on carbon content,
austenite areas of high and low carbon con- Core Surface Core Surface

centration will have different critical cool-


ing rates (CCT curves) resulting in differ-
ent transformations to martensite. This
may lead to the appearance of alternative
Hardness

Hardness
products within the martensitic structure.
Carbon content not only influences
50%
achievable surface hardness and case depth, Martensite
but also the transition zone. For example,
eutectoid steel always has a shorter transi-
Diameter Diameter
tion zone compared with a hypoeutectoid
steel (assuming temperature distribution
Surface Core Surface Core
and quenching conditions are the same).

Can results of Grossmann's harden- A1 A1


ability tests and Jominy end-quench
Temperature

Temperature

tests be directly applied to selective F F


hardening? P P
Hardenability is an important property of
steel and cast iron, defining the ability of
B B
the metal to be hardened to a certain depth. Ms Ms
It is measured as the distance from the sur-
face where certain hardness can be obtained
Time Time
or a specific percentage of martensite can be
formed (e.g., 50 HRC or 50% martensite). Fig. 3. Influence of test specimen diameter on hardness profile and core cooling rate [1]

42 May 2005 – IndustrialHeating.com


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ing rate, a certain amount of upper-transfor- (particularly induction surface hardening)


mation products (i.e., bainite, pearlite, fer- due to the assumptions in measurements
rite) form within the core leading to a soft- that have been done.
er core compared with the surface. The standard Jominy end-quench test is
Surface hardening (case hardening) suitable for moderate cooling rates.
involves a relatively short heat up time and Therefore, it can provide misleading results
a pronounced skin effect, and core tempera- at cooling rates 150˚C/sec (270˚F/sec) or
ture does not rise significantly during the higher experienced with a majority of
heating stage [1]. Upon quenching, the cold induction hardening applications. Quench
core provides an additional cooling effect severity exceeds 1000˚C/sec (1830˚F/sec)
on the case hardening area compared with in some induction hardening applications.
through-heated parts. A more intensive In standard hardenability tests, a speci-
quench increases hardness and steel harden- men is heated to the austenitic tempera-
ability, and dramatically increases the forma- ture and held long enough to ensure form-
tion and distribution of residual stresses [1]. ing homogeneous austenite. By compari-
son, induction hardening involves intense
Hardenability tests heating with a relatively short or no hold-
Techniques used to determine steel and ing time, which can produce inhomoge-
cast-iron hardenability include neous austenite with corresponding differ-
Grossmann's hardenability test and the ences in the hardenability curves. Intense
Jominy end-quench test–the most widely heating during induction hardening shifts
used tests [1-3]. Grossmann's test involves the A1 and A3 critical curves toward high-
the concept of critical diameter. er temperatures [1,7]. Quenching from
Cylindrical bars having different diameters temperatures that are often 100 to 180˚C
are cooled from a specific austenitizing (180 to 325˚F) higher than the tempera-
temperature down to ambient temperature ture used during hardenability tests can
using a given quench medium. For a par- result in appreciable errors.
ticular quenchant, a bar having 50% Conventional hardenability curves also
martensite at its core would correspond to are modified by the cold core serving as a
the critical diameter Dcr. The critical heat sink and by higher surface and subsur-
diameter is influenced by chemical compo- face quenching severity. The cold core can
sition, grain size and homogeneous austen- have a self-quenching (mass quenching)
ite, which can be relatively easily defined. effect, which allows the elimination of liq-
However, quenching condition often is the uid spray quenching in some hardening Fig. 4. Compact system for hardening cast
iron camshafts. Courtesy of Inductoheat Inc.
least defined factor, particularly in the case applications with a small case depth.
of induction hardening. Cooling severity Hardenability tests are primarily orient-
during spray quenching depends on a com- ed toward cylindrical shape specimens ver- induction hardening of carbon steels, but
bination of factors including quenchant sus other shapes, which make it difficult to there are some significant differences [1].
type and purity; concentration; quenching apply test results to parts having complex Cast irons comprise a family of materials
temperature, pressure and flow rate; shape. Data obtained from a standard represented on the right side of the Fe-
quench block design; number and distribu- Jominy or Grossman test should be used for FeC3 phase diagram having a high carbon
tion of quench holes, orifice size and densi- reference purposes only. content (2+%) and a wide range of proper-
ty; spray impingement and part rotation. ties [1,7]. Gray, ductile (nodular) and mal-
The Jominy end-quench was developed Are the procedures for choosing leable and compacted-graphite iron (to a
to overcome the complexity of the process parameters for induction lesser extent) are induction hardened.
Grossmann's hardenability test. In the test, hardening of steels and cast irons Gray iron contains carbon as graphite in
a 25 mm OD by 100 mm long (~1 in. by 4 identical? flake form (Fig. 5), which combined with
in.) cylindrical specimen is uniformly heat- One of the most common applications of the high carbon content makes gray iron
ed to achieve homogeneous austenite and induction heat treatment is hardening cast castings brittle and hard, with low tensile
spray quenched on one end, producing a iron parts such as camshafts, crankshafts, strength and a poor ability to withstand
longitudinal hardness distribution as a liners, gears, rollers, etc. Figure 4 shows an appreciable thermal shock and shock load.
function of the distance from the quenched induction system used to heat treat cast Due to their relatively high silicon con-
end. Both test methods require some iron camshafts. Induction surface harden- tents, commercial cast irons should be con-
degree of caution for induction hardening ing of cast irons has many similarities to sidered as at least ternary Fe-C-Si alloys.

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Heat Treating

As a result, all critical temperatures of cast elements and residual impurities that could
irons differ from those shown in the right affect critical temperatures.
side of the Fe-Fe3C diagram [1]. A key metallurgical difference between
The ability of gray irons to be hardened steels and cast irons that causes many prob-
depends on the type of matrix (i.e., ferritic, lems in selective hardening is matrix carbon
ferritic-pearlitic or pearlitic) and the content versus total carbon content (CE)
amount, size, shape, and distribution of [8]. In steels, carbon content is fixed by
graphite flakes. A pearlitic matrix provides chemical composition and cannot exceed
a better response to induction hardening of this value in a fully austenitic condition. In
gray irons. Being brittle, gray iron may contrast, cast irons have a carbon “reserve”
present certain challenges to induction in the primary graphite particles, which can
Fig. 5. Representative gray cast iron micro-
hardening due to a tendency toward crack- cause localized increasing amounts of car-
structure containing graphite flakes [9]
ing from fast heating and intense cooling bon to dissolve into the austenite matrix at
[1,9,10]. Preheating and soft quenching are higher austenitizing temperatures. This high
often used. However, some gray iron parts (and variable depending on temperature)
have been successfully hardened using matrix carbon content is the most critical
short heat time (less than 2 seconds) and metallurgical factor in the selective harden-
quenching using plant water (Fig. 6). ing of cast irons, and lies at the root of prob-
In contrast to gray irons, ductile irons lems such as excessive retained austenite,
have carbon particles in the form of coarse martensite and unusual hardness pat-
graphite nodules, which serve as crack terns. Alloying elements can affect harden-
arresters. This gives ductile irons some ability and retained austenite (by decreasing
advantages over gray irons including duc- Ms temperature) in steels, but matrix car- Fig. 6. Unitized machine with two independ-
tility, relatively high tensile and bending bon content in cast irons have an over- ently operated heat stations and high-
strength and moderate elongation. An whelming effect. speed, servo-driven scanning assemblies for
induction hardening the ID of gray iron
induction hardened ductile (nodular) cast Ferritic ductile iron typically is not a
cylinder liners. Production rate is 50 liners/h
iron crankshaft with case hardness pattern good candidate for induction hardening with a 0.8 mm (0.03 in.) case having 47-49
and microstructure, transition zone and due to the inability to transform low car- HRC as-quenched hardness. Courtesy of
green core is shown in Fig. 7. bon containing ferrite into martensite. Inductoheat Banyard Ltd., Dorset, UK.
Ductile (nodular) irons offer a wide
range of properties. Five subgroups of duc-
tile iron are ferritic, pearlitic-ferritic,
“Green”
pearlitic, martensitic and austempered core
ductile irons. Induction hardening is usu-
ally applied to martensitic, pearlitic and,
to a lesser extent, pearlitic-ferritic ductile
irons. Martensitic ductile iron requires the
lowest hardening temperatures, shortest
Transition
heat-up time and provides well-defined, zone
crisp hardness patterns with a relatively
shallow transition zone [1].
Being inherently strong, ductile irons
can handle much greater stresses than gray
irons upon heating and quenching without Hardened
cracking. However, the presence of case
graphite nodules as crack-arresters does not
guarantee ductile iron castings will not
crack during intensive heating or/and
severe quenching.
A temperature range of 860 to 960°C Fig. 7. Induction hardened ductile cast iron
(1580 to 1760°F) is typical for induction crankshaft with corresponding microstruc-
tures of the hardened case, transition zone
hardening of iron castings. Besides carbon and green core. Required case depth: 1.8
and silicon, all commercial cast irons also Surface
mm (0.07 in.). Courtesy of Inductoheat Inc.
have other intentionally added alloying

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Heat Treating

However, intense induction heating and a gray iron hardening operation, it is the ability of a material to conduct the
quenching can be used to improve the important to conduct a run-off using rela- magnetic flux better than vacuum or air. It
fatigue strength of ferritic ductile cast irons tively “fresh” castings. Using castings that has a marked effect on all basic induction
[12] from the ability to create localized have been on the shop floor for some time phenomena including the skin effect, end
martensitic areas and compressive stresses for process development or run-off could effect and proximity effect, and also has a
near the boundaries of graphite nodules result in hardening age-strengthened parts. major effect on coil electrical parameters
due to carbon diffusion from graphite nod- Such results could be overly optimistic, [1]. The magnetic permeability of a partic-
ules into ferrite matrix. and cracking might suddenly occur during ular metal is a function of both tempera-
Sections of varying thickness in complex a production run [1]. ture and magnetic field intensity.
shaped iron castings heat up at different rates, The response of cast irons to electro- Electrical resistivity and magnetic per-
promoting thermal gradients and thermal magnetic heating is different than that of meability are strongly dependent on the
stresses, which can result in distortion and steels. It is important to remember that in chemical composition (Figs. 9, 10 and 11).
crack development, particularly in locations contrast to alternative heating processes,
having a drastic change of mass. the intensity of induction heating is more

resistivity
Electrical
Complications can arise when transitional sensitive to a chemical composition, and is
thermal stresses combine with residual stress- directly related to the electromagnetic
es from previous operations (e.g., casting, properties of the heated metal.
machining, honing, surface peening, etc.). Electromagnetic properties of materials
Complex-shaped steel parts have less tenden- in a broad sense include magnetic perme-
cy to crack than complex cast iron parts. ability, electrical resistivity (electrical con-

permeability
Magnetic
Stress relieving iron castings prior to induc- ductivity), saturation flux density, coercive
tion hardening is often recommended to force, hysteresis loss, permittivity, magnet-
reduce the probability of cracking. Formation ic susceptibility and others. While all elec-
of stresses during induction hardening and tromagnetic properties are important, this 0% Carbon content 4%
tempering is discussed in [1]. Reasons for discussion is limited to the effect of electri-
crack development during hardening cast cal resistivity and relative magnetic perme- Fig. 9. Influence of carbon content on elec-
trical resistivity and magnetic permeability
irons and plain carbon or alloy steels are dif- ability on the ability of metal to be heated
of carbon steels and cast irons at ambient
ferent [1,9,10]. For example, age strengthen- by induction. Electrical resistivity and temperature
ing can occur in gray iron castings but not in magnetic permeability have the most pro-
steel parts. If age strengthening occurs, some nounced effect on performance of the 22,000
Magnetic flux density (B), gauss

castings may harden relatively easily, while induction heating system (Fig. 8). 20,000
18,000 Cast steel
others may crack, even though heating and Electrical resistivity, the reciprocal of 16,000
quenching conditions were identical. electrical conductivity, affects nearly all 14,000
12,000 Cast iron
A study of the age strengthening phe- induction heating system parameters 10,000
nomenon [11] reported that aging at room including depth of heating (current pene- 8,000
temperature for about 60 days can tration depth), heat uniformity, coil elec- 6,000
4,000
strengthen gray iron castings by as much as trical efficiency, coil impedance (load 2,000
12%. The tensile strength-to-hardness matching capability) and others. Electrical 0
0 200 400 600 800 1,000 1,200
ratio also increases because the hardness resistivity varies with temperature, chemi- Magnetic field intensity (H), oersted
does not change with time. In a production cal composition, metal microstructure and
Fig. 10. Magnetization B-H curves for cast
environment, the time between casting grain size. It increases nonlinearly with steel and cast iron [13]
and heat treating can be relatively short, temperature for steels and cast irons.
and age strengthening will not occur. Thus, Relative magnetic permeability (µr) is a 22
Electrical resistivity, µΩ-cm

to ensure the reliability and repeatability of nondimensional parameter that indicates 20 Si


Al
18
Mn
Property Change Influence on induction heat treatment process 16 Cu
Mo
Less soaking action from the high temperature areas towards low temperature regions. 14
Thermal Ni
Decrease Greater temperature gradients and stresses during heating and quenching. Slower cool- 12 W
conductivity
ing of workpiece internal areas and core during quenching. Shorter transition area. Co
10
Electrical Greater depth of heating and larger current penetration depth. Increase of the coil elec- 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6
Increase Alloying element in iron, %
resistivity trical efficiency produces higher temperatures while utilizing the same energy/power.
Magnetic Greater depth of heating, larger current penetration depth and lower coil electrical efficien-
Decrease Fig. 11. Influence of small amounts of alloy-
permeability cy. Coil power factor reduction. Smaller thermal gradients and stresses during heating.
ing elements on the electrical resistivity of
Fig. 8 Effects of material physical properties on induction heating behavior iron [14]

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Cast irons have higher electrical resistivi- native heat treating methods to prevent
ty but lower magnetic properties com- unanticipated surprises. IH
pared with carbon steels. Thus, a coil
using the same power supply and frequen- References
cy has a different heating effect on carbon 1. Rudnev, V., Loveless,D., et al., Handbook of
steel, alloy steel or cast iron parts of the Induction Heating, Marcel Dekker, 2003
2. Brooks, C., Principles of the Heat Treatment
same geometry [1].
of Plain Carbon and Low Alloy Steels, ASM
A material's thermal properties also are a Intl., 1996
function of chemical composition. Since 3. Krauss, G., Steels: Heat Treatment and
the cycle time of induction heating is much Processing Principles, ASM Intl., 1999
shorter than those of alternative heating 4. Semiatin, S.L. and Stutz, D.E., Induction Heat
processes, the variation in thermal conduc- Treatment of Steel, ASM Intl., 1986
tivity of the heated material has a greater 5. Troiano, A. and Greninger, A., Metal
Progress, 1946
effect on transient and final thermal condi-
6. Gulyaev, A. Metallurgy, Metallurgia,
tions of the inductively heated parts.
Moscow, 1977
Thermal conductivity of cast irons is 7. Rudnev, V., Be aware of the 'fine print' in
typically lower than that of carbon steels the science of metallurgy of induction
resulting in much weaker “soaking” action hardening, Part 1, Ind. Htg., Mar., 2005
during surface hardening or selective hard- 8. Private communication with Norman
ening. Therefore, in contrast to surface Carter, May, 2003
9. Rudnev, V., Induction Hardening Cast Iron,
hardening of steels, self-quenching is prac-
Ht. Trtg. Prog., ASM Intl., Mar., 2003
tically never used in hardening cast irons.
10. Rudnev, V., Troubleshooting Cracking in
For example, in the case hardening of gray Induction Hardening, Ht. Trtg. Prog., Aug.,
iron cyclinder liners in Fig. 6, self-quench- 2003
ing was not applied even for the required 11. Nicola, W. and Richards, V., Age Strength-
shallow case depth of 0.8 mm (0.03 in.). It ening of Gray Iron, AFS Trans., 2000
is important to remember that the size, 12. Misaka, Y., et. al., Fatigue strength of ferritic
ductile cast iron, Japan IOM, 2004
shape, dispersion and amount of graphite
13. Attwood, S., Electrric and Magnetic Fields,
flakes affect not only the mechanical prop-
John Wiley, 1941
erties, but also the electrical, magnetic and 14. Bozorth, R., Ferromagnetism, IEEE Press,
thermal properties of gray cast irons [1]. N.Y., 1993
When discussing induction surface
hardening of steel, the phenonmenon of For more information: Valery Rudnev is Group
super hardening is often mentioned [1,4], Director, Science & Technology, Inductoheat
wherein the surface hardness of an induc- Group, Inductoheat Inc., 32251 N. Avis Dr.,
tion hardened steel could be 2-3 HRC Madison Heights, MI 48071; tel: 248-585-5055; fax:
higher than that for through-heated, fur- 248-589-1062; e-mail: rudnev@indctoheat.com;
nace-hardened steel [1,4]. This phenome- Web: www.inductoheat.com
non is particularly noticeable in induc-
tion hardened steels having a 0.35-0.6%
carbon content. Super hardening has Additional related information may be
found by searching for these (and other)
never been observed in induction harden-
key words/terms via BNP Media LINX at
ing iron castings.
www.industrialheating.com: induction
hardening, surface hardening, selective
Conclusion
hardening, induction heating, CCT diagram,
The material discussed in Part 1 and Part 2
self quench, mass quench, martensite
of this article is representative of metallurgi-
transformation, retained austenite, cryo-
cal “fine points” and subtleties that some- genic treatment, homogeneous austenite,
times are incorrectly assumed or improperly hardenability, Jominy-end quench,
used in the application of induction harden- Grossmann's test, cast iron, carbon equiva-
ing.. However, there many other principles lent (CE), electromagnetic properties, elec-
of heat treatment that must be carefully trical resistivity, magnetic permeability,
thought out when applying them to the super hardening.
induction hardening compared with alter-

IndustrialHeating.com – May 2005 47

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