article · Results in Engineering
This study examined the effects of rapid cyclic heat treatment on AISI 1021 mild carbon steel using image analysis. Samples underwent initial quenching followed by up to four rapid thermal cycles. Microstructural and mechanical evaluations were conducted using optical microscopy, Image J software, Brinell hardness testing, and Charpy V-notch impact testing. The findings showed that rapid heating altered the microstructure, decreasing the steel grain size from 1.07 micrometres in the control sample down to 0.79 micrometres after three cycles, before rising slightly to 0.86 micrometres in the fourth cycle. Ultimately, two cycles of rapid heat treatment proved sufficient to refine the microstructure into ultra-fine grains while maintaining impact ductility in the steel.
Mild carbon steel is widely used in engineering and manufacturing. Understanding how rapid cyclic heating affects its grain structure allows materials processors to improve metal performance efficiently. Achieving fine-grained steel with enhanced impact ductility in just two cycles offers a direct route to optimising material toughness without requiring prolonged or overly complex processing.
This research provides applied and tested processing parameters that could interest steel manufacturers and heat treatment facilities seeking to improve mild steel performance. By demonstrating that two heating cycles produce desirable ultra-fine grains and impact ductility, the method could help industrial users reduce processing cycles. However, the abstract does not indicate a specific commercialisation pathway or direct industrial scale-up trials.
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This research was aimed at using image analysis to describe the effects of rapid cyclic heating on mild steel. AISI 1021 steel sample used in this study was subjected to quenching heat treatment followed by 1, 2, 3, and 4-cycles of rapid heat treatment. The as-treated steel samples were characterized by Brinell hardness tests, Charpy V-notch impact tests, optical microscopy, and image analysis using Image J software. The results revealed that the grain size decreased from 1.07 μm in the control sample to 0.79 μm in the third cycle sample and increased to 0.86 μm in the fourth cycle sample. However, the results revealed that two-cycles of rapid heat treatment was enough to produce ultra-fine grains and impact ductility in mild carbon steel.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.rineng.2019.100044
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