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Mr.Senkathir
MINI PROJECT
To Study and Analyse the Effect of
Tempering on Inconel 718 Using Image
Analyser
Abstract
Investigations are carried out to study the effects of heat treatment on the
mechanical properties of Inconel 718. Samples of Inconel 718 were examined
after heating at the 900C & soaked for 60 min. in a muffle furnace then
quenched in water.
INTRODUCTION:
Gamma Prime strengthened alloy with excellent
Inconel 718 mechanical properties at elevated temperatures, as
Product well as cryogenic temperatures. Suitable for
Description temperatures up to around 1300 F. Can be readily
worked and age hardened.
Inconel alloys are oxidation- and corrosion-resistant materials well suited for
service in extreme environments subjected to pressure and heat. When heated,
Inconel forms a thick, stable, passivating oxide layer protecting the surface
from further attack. Inconel retains strength over a wide temperature range,
attractive for high temperature applications where aluminium and steel would
succumb to creep as a result of thermally induced crystal vacancies. Inconels
high temperature strength is developed by solid solution
strengthening or precipitation hardening, depending on the alloy
Heat Treating of Nickel and Nickel Alloys
Nickel and nickel alloys may be subjected to one or more of five principal types
of heat treatment, depending on chemical composition, fabrication requirements
and intended service. These methods include annealing, stress relieving, stress
equalizing, solution treating and age hardening.
Nickel and nickel alloys may be subjected to one or more of five principal types
of heat treatment, depending on chemical composition, fabrication requirements
and intended service.
Annealing
As applied to nickel and nickel alloys, annealing consists of heating the metal at
a predetermined temperature for a definite time and then slowly or rapidly
cooling it, to produce a change in mechanical properties - usually a complete
softening as a result of recrystalization.
Nickel and nickel alloys that have been hardened by cold working operations,
such as rolling, deep drawing, spinning or severe bending, require softening
before cold working can be continued. The thermal treatment that will produce
this condition is known as annealing, or soft annealing.
Three soft-annealing methods in general commercial use - open, closed and salt
bath annealing - are described bellow (Table 2.).
Open annealing is used most often. The material to be annealed is heated at the
selected temperature and protected from oxidation by the products of
combustion in a fuel-heated furnace, or by a reducing gas introduced into an
electric furnace. Temperature control is critical because the annealing period is
short.
Closed (box) annealing requires more time than open annealing because of the
lower temperatures used. Temperature control is less critical than in open
annealing. In most instances, the weight of the container exceeds that of the
work; consequently, the amount of fuel required, heating time and costs are
greater than in open annealing.
Material Composition
Ni Fe Cu Cr Mo
Monel R-
870 to 980 760 to 815 -
405
Monel K-
870 to 1040 Not applicable -
500
Salt bath annealing is used for special work with small parts. Inorganic salts,
such as chlorides and carbonates of sodium, potassium and barium, which are
relatively stable at temperatures considerably above their respective melting
points, are fused in large metallic or refractory containers at temperatures up to
about 700C. At higher temperatures, heat-resisting Fe-Ni-Cr alloy pots or
refractory containers should be used. Excessive fuming of the bath is an
indication of its maximum usable temperature.
The material to be annealed is placed in molten salts and absorbs heat rapidly.
After being annealed, the work metal is quenched in water to free it from
particles of the salt mixture. The annealed material will not be bright and may
be flash pickled to achieve a bright surface.
Bright Annealing. The temperatures required for soft annealing of nickel and
nickel alloys are sufficiently high to cause slight surface oxidation unless the
materials are heated in vacuum or in a furnace provided with a reducing
atmosphere. Nickel 200, Monel 400 and similar alloys will remain bright and
free from discoloration when heated and cooled in a reducing atmosphere.
However, nickel alloys containing chromium, titanium and aluminum will form
a thin oxide film. Even if oxidation is not important, the furnace atmosphere
must be suitably sulfur-free and not strongly oxidizing.
The protective atmosphere most commonly used in heating nickel and nickel
alloys is that provided by controlling the ratio between the fuel and air supplied
to burners firing directly into the furnace. A desirable reducing condition may
be obtained by using a slight excess of fuel so that the products of combustion
contain at least 2% carbon monoxide plus hydrogen (preferably 4%) with no
more than 0.05% uncombined oxygen.
Prepared atmospheres suitable for use with nickel and nickel alloys include:
dried hydrogen, dried nitrogen, dissociated ammonia, and cracked or partially
reacted natural gas.
The work should be warmed gently at first, with sweeping motions of the torch,
and should not be brought to the annealing temperature until sufficient
preheating has been done to prevent cracking as a result of sudden release of
stress. (Note: Torch annealing is a poor method for general use, because it
provides irregular and insufficient annealing and produces heavily oxidized
surfaces.)
Age hardening
Age-hardening practices for several nickel alloys are summarized in the Table
3. In general nickel alloys are soft when quenched from temperatures ranging
from 790 to 1220C, however, they may be hardened by holding at 480 to
870C or above and then furnace or air-cooling. Quenching is not a prerequisite
to aging; the alloys can be hardened from the hot worked and cold worked
conditions, as well as from the soft condition.
Cooling
Temperature Age hardening
method
Heat to 595C, hold 16h; furnace
Monel K-500 980 C WQ cool to 540oC, hold 6h; furnace
cool to 480C, hold 8h; air-cool
Because of the long time of aging and the difficulty of excluding air from the
box or furnace, truly bright hardening cannot be accomplished commercially.
For semibright hardening, dry hydrogen or cracked and dried ammonia should
be used. When bright or semibright hardening is not required, other
atmospheres may be used, such as nitrogen, cracked natural gas free of sulfur,
cracked city gas, cracked hydrocarbons, or a generated gas. The use of sulfur-
free gases is necessary to avoid embrittlement.
Salt baths are used occasionally for small parts. The hardened material is never
bright, and must be fresh pickled to restore the natural color. Inorganic salts are
used, such as chlorides and carbonates of sodium or potassium, which are
relatively stable at temperatures considerably above their respective melting
points. It is extremely important that the salts be free of all traces of sulfur, so
that the work does not become embrittled.
Applications
Uses for this alloy tend to be in the field of gas turbine Components and
cryogenic storage tanks, jet engines, pump bodies and parts, rocket motors and
thrust reversers, nuclear fuel element spacers, hot extrusion ing. Other popular
uses are high strength bolting, and down hole shafting
CHAPTER-2
EXPERIMENTAL WORK
Now, Inconel 718 rods are taken and are machined into five set of samples in
which each set includes a specimen of tensile test, for hardness test and for Izod
impact test. With the required dimensions each and every samples were
machined using lathe machine. Standard tensile and hardness test specimens
were made from Inconel 718 in collaboration with a lathe machine. Samples
were subjected to different heat treatment sequences: water quenching, and
tempering at three different temperatures: 250C, 350C, 450C. Heat treated
specimens were mechanically tested for tensile properties, and hardness.
2.2 Heat Treatment
Inconel 718 Four out of the five prepared tensile test and hardness test
samples were heated to 900C and soaked for 50 minutes in a muffle furnace.
The test samples were quickly taken out of the furnace and quenched in chilled
water and removed after fifteen minutes. Tempering treatment was conducted
on three quenched samples at different temperatures of 250C, 350C, 450C
with dwell time 30 minutes inside the furnace environment and allowed it to
cooled in air to room temperature.
Micro structural variations are discussed and explained under the Results
and discussions. Microstructure images are attached below for different samples.