Tempering temperature effect on the static and impact properties of 51CrV4 and 55Cr3 spring steels

This study investigated the impact of tempering temperature on the mechanical properties and microstructure of 51CrV4 and 55Cr3 spring steels, which are commonly utilized in the manufacturing of leaf springs. These springs are integral components of suspension systems in both land and railway vehicl...

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Main Authors: Gülcan Toktaş, Adem Biçer
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IOP Publishing 2025-01-01
Series:Materials Research Express
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1088/2053-1591/ada7cb
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author Gülcan Toktaş
Adem Biçer
author_facet Gülcan Toktaş
Adem Biçer
author_sort Gülcan Toktaş
collection DOAJ
description This study investigated the impact of tempering temperature on the mechanical properties and microstructure of 51CrV4 and 55Cr3 spring steels, which are commonly utilized in the manufacturing of leaf springs. These springs are integral components of suspension systems in both land and railway vehicles. The steels were hardened through austenitizing at 870 °C for 30 min, followed by oil quenching. Subsequently, they were tempered at 300 °C, 375 °C, 450 °C, and 525 °C for 120 min. Mechanical testing (including hardness and tensile tests) and both micro and macrostructural analyses were carried out to assess the effect of tempering temperature. Additionally, impact tests at various temperatures were performed to evaluate the influence of tempering on ductile-to-brittle transition temperature (DBTT). X-ray diffraction was employed for phase analyses while scanning electron microscopy was utilized to examine fracture surfaces. The quenching/tempering processes resulted in strengths that were two to three times higher and lower hardening capacities below 0.05 in comparison to the normalizing treatment. The steels achieved their maximum ultimate tensile strengths above 1800 N mm ^−2 at 300 °C, with decreasing values as the tempering temperature increased. The hardness of 51CrV4 steel surpassed that of 55Cr3, attributed to the hardenability and precipitation-strengthening effects provided by the Cr and V content. Furthermore, impact energies increased with increasing testing temperatures (−40 °C, 0 °C, 25 °C, and +80 °C), with both steels tempered at 525 °C exhibiting higher and satisfactory impact energies across all testing temperatures, exceeding 15 J and 20 J, respectively. In addition, the tempered steels did not show a well-defined DBTT, while only the DBTT of normalized 51CrV4 steel was clearly determined at 0 °C.
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spelling doaj-art-c350e651d3694f9db12d8db3d44361452025-01-29T18:19:02ZengIOP PublishingMaterials Research Express2053-15912025-01-0112101651810.1088/2053-1591/ada7cbTempering temperature effect on the static and impact properties of 51CrV4 and 55Cr3 spring steelsGülcan Toktaş0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0455-2107Adem Biçer1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7908-9209Balıkesir University , Faculty of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Balıkesir, TürkiyeDosemenler Factory, Altıeylul, Balıkesir, TürkiyeThis study investigated the impact of tempering temperature on the mechanical properties and microstructure of 51CrV4 and 55Cr3 spring steels, which are commonly utilized in the manufacturing of leaf springs. These springs are integral components of suspension systems in both land and railway vehicles. The steels were hardened through austenitizing at 870 °C for 30 min, followed by oil quenching. Subsequently, they were tempered at 300 °C, 375 °C, 450 °C, and 525 °C for 120 min. Mechanical testing (including hardness and tensile tests) and both micro and macrostructural analyses were carried out to assess the effect of tempering temperature. Additionally, impact tests at various temperatures were performed to evaluate the influence of tempering on ductile-to-brittle transition temperature (DBTT). X-ray diffraction was employed for phase analyses while scanning electron microscopy was utilized to examine fracture surfaces. The quenching/tempering processes resulted in strengths that were two to three times higher and lower hardening capacities below 0.05 in comparison to the normalizing treatment. The steels achieved their maximum ultimate tensile strengths above 1800 N mm ^−2 at 300 °C, with decreasing values as the tempering temperature increased. The hardness of 51CrV4 steel surpassed that of 55Cr3, attributed to the hardenability and precipitation-strengthening effects provided by the Cr and V content. Furthermore, impact energies increased with increasing testing temperatures (−40 °C, 0 °C, 25 °C, and +80 °C), with both steels tempered at 525 °C exhibiting higher and satisfactory impact energies across all testing temperatures, exceeding 15 J and 20 J, respectively. In addition, the tempered steels did not show a well-defined DBTT, while only the DBTT of normalized 51CrV4 steel was clearly determined at 0 °C.https://doi.org/10.1088/2053-1591/ada7cbtemper martensiteimpact energyductile-to-brittle transition temperaturefracture surface
spellingShingle Gülcan Toktaş
Adem Biçer
Tempering temperature effect on the static and impact properties of 51CrV4 and 55Cr3 spring steels
Materials Research Express
temper martensite
impact energy
ductile-to-brittle transition temperature
fracture surface
title Tempering temperature effect on the static and impact properties of 51CrV4 and 55Cr3 spring steels
title_full Tempering temperature effect on the static and impact properties of 51CrV4 and 55Cr3 spring steels
title_fullStr Tempering temperature effect on the static and impact properties of 51CrV4 and 55Cr3 spring steels
title_full_unstemmed Tempering temperature effect on the static and impact properties of 51CrV4 and 55Cr3 spring steels
title_short Tempering temperature effect on the static and impact properties of 51CrV4 and 55Cr3 spring steels
title_sort tempering temperature effect on the static and impact properties of 51crv4 and 55cr3 spring steels
topic temper martensite
impact energy
ductile-to-brittle transition temperature
fracture surface
url https://doi.org/10.1088/2053-1591/ada7cb
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