Soft annealing technology applied to high chromium white cast iron

Abstract

High Cr white cast iron is an alloy widely used in the field of manufacturing parts working in conditions of high wear resistance. However, the machining process for this alloy is often difficult due to its high hardness. Therefore, the objective of this study is to find out the appropriate parameters of heat treatment process to be able for softening of high Cr white cast iron with a lower hardness, ensuring the cutting process. In this study, the samples were austenitized partially and soft annealed in a resistance furnace. Optical microscope, X-ray diffractometer and field emission scanning electron microscope were used to observe and evaluate the microstructure of samples before and after heat treatment. The Rockwell hardness tester (RHT) is also used to evaluate hardness variation of samples. Research results have shown that the change of primary carbide grain size and formation of secondary carbides during heat treatment can reduce the hardness of white cast iron to the suitable range for machining.