MICROSTRUCTURE AND WEAR PROPERTIES OF 42CRMO4 STEEL PREPARED BY VARIOUS HEAT TREATMENTS METHODS

Abstract

42CrMo4 steels are widely used in automotive, aerospace applications and machine tools where wear resistance needs to be maintained throughout its lifetime. It is possible to change the initial microstructure of these steels with various heat treatments and improve their mechanical properties. For this purpose, the effect of different heat treatment processes on wear characteristics of 42CrMo4 quality steel was investigated in this study. After various heat treatments methods, spheroidized ferrite-perlite, tempered martensite, tempered martensite with spherical carbides microstructures were obtained in 42CrMo4 steel. Hardness measurements and the wear tests were performed with microhardness tester and reciprocating type tribometer, respectively. The microstructural features developed by the applied heat treatments were examined with an optical microscope, and the wear characteristics were studied in terms of friction coefficient, wear volume loss, and worn surfaces of samples.