STUDY OF THE PROPERTIES OF Kh21N5T STEEL

(UDC 620.17: 620.181 : 669.14.018.8)

E. I. M o s h k e v i c h , K. P. G u n a z a , and B. I. Zlatkina

Dneprospetsst al' Plant

Translated from M e t a l l o v e d e n i e i T e r m i c h e s k a y a Obrabotka Metallov, No. 3,
pp. 57-60, March, 1965

In this paper we study the phase composition of m e t a l case at room and e l e v a t e d temperatures from industrial
melts of Kh21N5T steel, and also d e t e r m i n e the m e c h a n i c a l properties of forged m e t a l from these melts after various
forms of heat t r e a t m e n t ,
The melts were carried out in basic are furnaces of m e d i u m c a p a c i t y by the method of r e m e l t i n g waste prod-
ucts with the use of oxygen. The m e t a l was siphoned off into ingots weighing 11.8 t. The hot ingots were transferred
to the slab m i l l pits and after heating was roiled into slabs.

Two ingots each weighing 30 kg were cast from each melt into c h a m o t t e nozzles. One ingot was used to esti-
m a t e the phase composition, while the other was reforged into rods (d = 25 ram) after heating at 1150 ~ C, from which
we then cut specimens for measuring the m e c h a n i c a l properties of the m e t a l (after heat treatment). The c h e m i c a l
composition of the e x p e r i m e n t a l melts is shown in Table 1,
T a b l e 2 gives data on the phase composition of the cast m e t a l from the e x p e r i m e n t a i reeks. To ascertain the
phase composition,polished specimens were etched in a reagent containing 10 g KOH, 10 g Kffe(CN)6, 60 g H20
(color etching). As can be seen, at room t e m p e r a t u r e the amount of the austenite component in the cast alloy varies
between 10 and 70%. There was a c l e a r - c u t dependence between the phase composition and the ratio of the chro-
mium and _:_,.-1 . . . . , . ~a_,_
:.,_,u.~.cs ~%uxv l e _.,,_,_,
.. ~ - . , 1~
-'-'~t~, ~' - ' ~ ._
'~" ._,u,_l~, ~o.,a,,
TM treatment -~-a
:.,_,. . .pha-~e -~,o-;on-h ~ showr~ in ~, -~,~,-
. . . . . . ,~-,o~,'-~.~-~I' o ~ ~ changes.

At about 1000 ~ C there is formation of austenite in the rneits initially containing a small amount of it (Fig. 2).
A reduction in the amount of austenite is observed on greater h e a t i n g (1200~ and is particularly marked at 1250~
(Fig. 3).

It should be noted that in the slabs the amount of austenite is a p p r o x i m a t e l y the same as in the case samples
without heat treatment ( T a b l e 2). *

TABLE 1. C h e m i c a l Composition of Experimental Melts, %

No.
C Mn SI P S Cr Nt Ti Cu Mo
of m e l t

1 0,10 0,65 0,49 O, 027 0,017 21,25 5,55 O, 64 0,26 0,13

2 0,085 0,69 0,51 O, 034 0,011 2t ,00 5,70 ,58 0,23 0,15
3 0, I0 0,68 0,42 0,034 0,018 20,95 5,64 ,55 0,16 0,17
4 0,085 0,69 0,58 O, 033 0,010 22,00 5,70 0,55 0,22 0,16
5 0,09 0,65 0,45 0,027 0,010 21,30 5,50 0,51 0,21 0,25
6 0,11 0,68 0,60 O, 027 0,010 21,76 4,90 0,48 0.13 0,10
7 0,10 0,5-1 0,55 . O, 027 0,011 21,50 5,15 0.43 0,20 0,12
8 0,11 0,60 0,50 O, 029 0,009 20,85 5~08 0,E5 0,27 0,19
9 0,09 0,52 0,45 0,028 0,010 20, 13 5,35 0,23 0,17 0,20
10 0,]1 0,67 0,47 0,027 0,0t2 21,40 5,05 0,13 0,20 0,15

*Assessment of the phase composition of the slab m e t a l was carried out at the TsZL of the Zaporozhstal' Plant under
the guidance of N. P. Cherkashina.

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 TABLE 2. Phase Composition of Kh21N5T SteeI from Experimental Melts in the Cast State
and in Slabs

Austenite content, %
Cast sample after heating for 2 h and water.
No. of m e l t quenching from ~
Cast sample Slab
1000 II00 1200 1250

1 40 40 40 30 20 30--40
2 59 40 40 30 2(1 30--40
3 60 4:) 35 25 15 49--59
4 10 20 20 15 15 7--10
5 30 39 30 20 20 30 - 3 5
6 15 30 30 20 t5 15--25
7 t5 40 40 25 15 2,5 - 4 9
8 2) 25 25 15 10 2{}--3~)
9 70 70 70 50 3) 49--50
I0 65 ~5 65 35 35 49-45

%
i ,
."~ 7o
60 ', , I
50
~S ~0
JO
-5
20
@_'-,
q c~
< 10 - - - -
3,00 3. 73 i20 3,30eqv C r / e q v Ni

Fig. i. Phase composition in cast Kb21NST

steet as function of c h e m i c a l composition
of the m e t a l .

Fig. 2. Structure of cast m e t a l after heating to 1000~ and cooling in water (x 300).
a) Melt 4; b) melt 5; c) m e k 6.

199
 Fig. 3. Structure of cast m e t a l after heating
to 1250~ and cooling in water ( 300):
a) m e l t 1; b) m e l t 2; c) m e l t 3; d) m e l t 9;
e) m e l t 10.

The m e c h a n i c a l properties-of the forged m e t a l from the e x p e r i m e n t a l melts were determined in standard spec-
mines heat treated under the following conditions: I) heating at 1150~ for 40 rain (Fig. 4a); II) at 1000~ C for
40 min (Fig. 4b); cooling in water for regimes I and II; III) same as I, plus t e m p e r i n g at 550~ for I h (Fig. 4c); IV)
same as 1I plus t e m p e r i n g at 550 ~ C for I h (Fig. dd).
In the quenched specimens (Fig. 4a and b) the strength increases as the amount of austenite grows. After
quenching from 1000~ (Fig. 4b) the strength is greater, due to the amount of austenite atthis temperature being
greatest, As can be seen from Fig. 4b, to obtain a strength of o b > 70 k g m / m m 2, the m e t a l structure must contain
no less than 18-20% austenite. In the quenched state this m e t a l shows an i m p a c t strength of 20 k g m / c m 2 or more.

As a result of t e m p e r i n g at S60~ the m e c h a n i c a l properties of the m e t a l are sharply altered (Fig. 4c and d).
Alongside hardening of the m e t a l there is a sharp d e c l i n e in impact strengtll. These changes are most marked when

200
 a k, k g m / m m 2
ab the amount of austenite phase is less than 20%. In this case the
strength increases to 80-90 k g / m m ~ (i.e., by 30~40%), while the
impact strength drops to 1-8 kgrn/cm 2. Thus, to produce high
70 r mechanical properties m the steel, the austenite content in the
cast sample must be more than 20%.
~0 0
10 .~0 50 % /0 3O 5O %
Amount of ~]-phase Amount of X-phase
a) b)

10 JO 50 zo 70 I0 iO 50 %
A m o u n t of y - p h a s e Amount of ~-phase
c) d)
Fig. 4. Mechanical properties of Kh21N5T steel
as a function of phase composition of the cast
steel under various heat treaunent conditions.
1) Strength; 2) impact strength.

201