Austenite-Bainite Transformation Kinetic Model for the Powder-Metallurgical Steel Astaloy 85 Mo

Abstract

A new approach for case hardening of powder metallurgical steels is surface densification prior to heat treatment, hence avoiding hardening to the core caused by open porosity. With regard to this process chain a porosity and carbon dependent model of the transformation kinetics is essential. In powder metallurgical materials the transformation behavior is mainly influenced by the chemical composition, homogeneity and porosity. Using a prealloyed powder, e.g. Astaloy 85 Mo, a homogeneous distribution of alloying elements after sintering can be assumed and the transformation behaviour is mainly determined by pores and the carbon profile caused by case hardening. The effect of carbon is widely known but up to now, only a few details about the effect of porosity on the transformation can be found in literature. It is reported that a decreasing relative density causes a reduction of incubation and overall isothermal transformation time. In the present study, the transformation kinetics of a powder metallurgical steel based on Astaloy 85 Mo were investigated for the carbon levels 0.5 and 0.8 wt% as well as the relative densities 6.8, 7.2 and 7.8 g/cm³. The investigations were carried out using a high-speed quenching dilatometer. The isothermal time temperature transformation diagrams for this powder-metallurgical alloy are presented and Avrami-type equations are fitted to the measured data. A good correlation can be found for the transformation model and the experimental results verifying the used modeling approach showing the potential to be applied within case hardening simulations.