Effects of microalloying elements and rapid induction heating on the microstructure of suspension spring steels.

摘要

The present study investigated the stability of precipitates in microalloyed spring steels 9250-MV and STELR-MM, as well as the effect of rapid heating on the microstructure and strength of SAE 9254 and HDS12L suspension steels. Results of this study have shown that Nb-rich particles in STELR-MM are more thermally stable than V-rich particles found in 9250-MV. Results also demonstrated that the high silicon content in spring steels SAE 9254 and HDS12L retards the process of particle coarsening during tempering. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that compared to furnace heating, induction heating was able to eliminate the effect of decarburization, increase hardness, and refine microstructure.