Mechanical Properties of Carbon Steels during Solidification

Abstract

A technique for tensile tests has been developed for the investigation of mechanical properties of carbon steels during solidification. The equipment enables the test piece to melt and solidify without a crucible at a predetermined cooling rate. The tensile strength and ductility of Fe-C-1 mass% Mn samples have been measured during and after solidification. Temperature Range of Strength Generation (TRSG) during soli- dification is determined. It has been verified that ZST (Zero Strength Temperature), the maximum temperature showing the strength of sample by the tensile loading is different from ZDT ( Zero Ductivity Temperature), the temperature showing the brittle ductiletransition. These mechanical properties of steels have been examined in relation with solid fraction which is evaluated from numerical analysis for micro-segregation during solidification, TRSG is the temperature range where solid fraction is 0.6-0.8, ZST is the temperature at which the solid fraction 0.6-0.7, and ZDT is about 1. The influence of carbon contents on the tensile strength of sample has also been studied.