SIJ Metal Ravne d.o.o. authorized the conduction of temperature measurements in HTO/NTO, or more specifically the HTO chamber furnace, manufactured by Andritz Maerz, as a part of the Optimization of the heat treatment process of steel semi-products in chamber furnaces diploma work, with the goal of optimizing regulations regarding the quenching of PK323 steel, also known as SINOXX 4913, X19CrMoNbVN11-1 and W. Nr. 1.4913. Using thermoelements inserted in steel bars of thicknesses 20 mm and 43 mm, we were able to measure the real-world times of heating up to the quenching temperature and the real-world times of holding at quenching temperature.
Based on retrieved results we made new suggestions regarding the optimization of the heat treatment and then tested them. Steel bars of both thicknesses were sawed giving us a total of five samples per bar. The samples of 20 mm thickness were named from A1 to A5 and the samples of 43 mm thickness were named from B1 to B5. Each sample was prescribed it´s own temperature of quenching and the time of holding at quenching temperature. The quenching temperatures were 1110 °C, 1130 °C and 1150 °C and the times of holding at quenching temperature ranged from 20 min to 1 h 45 min.
The diploma work shows the exact influence of both parameters on the steel´s mechanical properties and the parameters´ influence on the steel´s microstructure. All of the results are then combined and assessed and based off of them is suggestion for an all-new quenching regulation for the PK323 steel inside the HTO chamber furnace.
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