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发表于 2020-12-22 15:03:37
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The Boron hardenability effect
An outstanding feature of boron steels is the improvement in hardenability produced by the addition of even a minute quantity of boron. It is generally accepted that a hardenability peak is reached when the quantity of boron is between 3 and 15 ppm. In an excessive amount of boron (>30 ppm) is present, the boron constituents become segregated in the austenite grain boundaries, which not only lowers hardenability, but also may decrease toughness, cause embrittlement and produce hot shortness. The affect of boron on hardenability also depends on the amount of carbon in the steel. The effect of boron increases in inverse proportion to the percentage of carbon present.
Boron must be in its atomic state to improve hardenability, which means that care must be taken during steel production for the boron to be effective. Boron may also become ineffective if its state is changed by incorrect heat treatment. For example, high austenitizing temperatures must be avoided as well as temperature ranges where certain boron precipitates occur.
Hardenability is highly dependent on the behavior of oxygen, carbon and nitrogen present in steel. Boron reacts with oxygen to form boron oxide (B2O3); with carbon to form iron boroncementite (Fe3(CB)) and iron boroncarbide (Fe23(CB)6); and with nitrogen to form boron nitride (BN). Loss of boron by oxygen is presented by making the boron addition to silicon-aluminum killed steels and by using good ladle and mold practices. Strong nitride formers (titanium, aluminum, and zirconium) protect the boron from reaction with nitrogen. For example, if nitrogen is fixed by using titanium, satisfactory hardenability is obtained in the temperature range up to 1830°F (1000°C) provided that the steel contains about 5-20 ppm of boron.
The hardenability of boron steel is also closely related to austenitizing conditions and is generally said to decrease by heating above 1830°F (1000°C). Boron steel must also be tempered at a lower temperature than other alloy element steels of the same hardenability. |
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