N2 and H2 cause different white-layer phase ratios during gas nitriding of iron and steels
July 23, 2019
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Researchers from Solar Atmospheres, Souderton, Pa., will discuss the influence of nitrogen and hydrogen as diluting gases during nitriding of iron and low-alloy steels at the ASM International Heat Treat 2019 conference in October.
In many large industrial furnaces, atmospheric ammonia gas nitriding processes use nitrogen as the diluting gas for safety, economic, and environmental reasons. The widely published Lehrer phase diagram for ammonia/hydrogen gas nitriding of pure iron has been used as a reference guide for selecting ammonia/nitrogen mixtures for nitriding of alloy steels. However, when the diluting gas is not hydrogen, the diagram is not precise or accurate.
Recent R&D gas nitriding studies on pure iron powders indicate that the use of nitrogen as the diluting gas produces considerably different compound layer (white layer) phase ratios when compared to the standard Lehrer ammonia/hydrogen mixtures, according to XRD analysis. Current data reveals that nitrogen shifts the Lehrer diagram phase boundaries to the left. This is pertinent to the topic, as only the gamma prime phase (Fe4N) is desired, not epsilon (Fe2-3 N). Literature indicates that Fe4N has uniquely sought-after magnetic properties in some specialized industries.
Materials are currently being tested to compare the pure iron results to those obtained when nitriding common low-alloy medium-carbon steel.
Presentation title: “The Influence of Nitrogen versus Hydrogen Diluting Gas on the Compound Layer Phase Formation During Ammonia Gas Nitriding of Iron and Low Alloy Steels.â€
Authors: Dr. Virginia Osterman, Mr. Donald Jordan; Solar Atmospheres, Souderton, Pennsylvania. www.solaratm.com
Heat Treat 2019: 30th Heat Treating Society Conference & Exposition
October 15-17 in Detroit
Conference website: https://www.asminternational.org/web/heat-treat-2019/home
Researchers from Solar Atmospheres, Souderton, Pa., will discuss the influence of nitrogen and hydrogen as diluting gases during nitriding of iron and low-alloy steels at the ASM International Heat Treat 2019 conference in October.
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One Minute Mentor: Quench problems that can affect through-hardening bearing steels
July 22, 2019
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The 52100 steel is considered a low-alloy steel with modest hardenability, and the fine grain size due to aluminum carbonitride particles imparts increased toughness. However, the fine grain size also reduces hardenability.
The maximum section thickness of 52100 that can be fully hardened is about 19 mm (0.75 in.). If the maximum section size of a bearing is larger than this, or if the volume of work being quenched exceeds the heat extraction capacity of the quench, or if the transfer time from furnace to the quench is too long, then a slack quench condition occurs. This results in the formation of nonmartensitic transformation products (also known as dark etching constituent, slow quench product, and upper bainite). These appear as a distinct, dark constituent dispersed in the martensitic matrix.
The time temperature transformation (TTT) diagram for 52100 (Fig. 7) shows that a workpiece must be quenched rapidly to miss the bainite “nose†and avoid the formation of nonmartensitic transformation products in the martensitic matrix. Workpiece temperature must be below 450°C (840°F) in less than 10 seconds to preclude bainite nucleation and growth.
The dashed line in Fig. 7 represents a slack quench cooling rate that intersects the bainite nose. A rule of thumb is that if the hardness of an as-quenched sample is below 63 HRC, the presence of nonmartensitic transformation product or some other furnace issue is likely.
The graph shows the Time-Temperature-Transformation (TTT) diagram for 52100, austenitized at 860°C (1580°F) for ten minutes. The dashed line simulates a workload slack-quenched from the austenitizing temperature, intersecting the Bainite-start nose of the curve before reaching the martensite start (Ms) temperature, where it quenches to room temperature. The microstructure will contain a small amount of bainite in a martensitic matrix.
For more information, click on the link below (subscription required), then scroll down the Chapter Contents on the left of the page, and click on Quench problems that can affect through-hardening bearing steels.
https://dl.asminternational.org/handbooks/book/9/chapter/110017/Heat-Treatment-of-Bearings
The 52100 steel is considered a low-alloy steel with modest hardenability, and the fine grain size due to aluminum carbonitride particles imparts increased toughness.
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Accurate Brazing to invest $13 million to upgrade and expand heat treating operations
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Accurate Brazing, Greenville, S.C., a subsidiary of Aalberts N.V., announces that it will invest $13 million to expand operations in Greenville County by upgrading approximately 20,000 square feet of an existing facility to install a new world-class hot isostatic press. The press is designed to improve ductility and stress resistance of critical, high-performance manufactured materials. The project is expected to be complete in the second quarter of 2020.
Accurate Brazing is a full-service vacuum brazing and heat treating enterprise with almost 40 years in the business. Materials treated include stainless steel (300 and 400 series), superalloys (Inconel, A286, Rene 41, Waspalloy, Hastelloy, etc.), copper, refractory materials (moly, titanium, tungsten, and carbon steels).
The company specializes in end-cover, nozzle, and cartridge assemblies for fuel delivery systems. It processes heat exchangers, tube assemblies, medical implants, consumable welding products, and semiconductor equipment.
Certifications include ISO 9001:2015, AS 9100:2016 Rev.D, Nadcap, General Electric (GEAEBG, GEPS), United Technologies (Prefered Vendor Status), Pratt and Whitney (Aircraft Laboratory Controlled Source), and many more.
www.accuratebrazing.com
Accurate Brazing, Greenville, S.C., a subsidiary of Aalberts N.V., announces that it will invest $13 million to expand operations in Greenville County by upgrading approximately 20,000 square feet of an existing facility to install a new world-class hot isostatic press.
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Surface Combustion case depth calculators enable quick estimates from the shop floor
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Surface Combustion, Maumee, Ohio, introduces Surface Depths Calculators, which enable engineers and customers alike to complete quick, accurate calculations from the shop floor.
Case Depth Calculator provides a quick, back-of-the-envelope style estimate of case depth (or time to achieve a case depth) during carburization and carbonitriding by the saturation or boost/diffuse methods. It can also be used to estimate times for carbon restoration. The model is based on work by F.E. Harris.
Carbon Calculator calculates the carbon potential of an atmosphere based on the carbon monoxide level, the carbon dioxide level, and the furnace temperature. These readings may come from instruments such as infrared controllers or three-gas analyzers.
Dewpoint Calculator calculates the carbon potential of an atmosphere based on the dewpoint of the furnace atmosphere, the carbon monoxide (CO) level, the hydrogen (H2) level, and the furnace temperature. These readings may come from instruments such as dewpoint analyzers.
S-1 Oxygen Probe Calculator calculates the carbon potential of an atmosphere based on the millivolt signal from an oxygen probe, the carbon monoxide level, and the furnace temperature. Two types of oxygen probes may be selected: a Surface Combustion S-1 Oxygen Probe or a generic oxygen probe.
Kn Calculator calculates the nitriding potential (Kn) of an atmosphere based on the flows of ammonia, nitrogen, and hydrogen into the furnace, the furnace pressure, and either the reading from the thermal conductivity hydrogen probe of the ammonia dissociation ratio (α) as given by an ammonia burette.
Surface Depths can be found on both the Apple App Store and on Google Play. If you would like more information on how to apply these calculations to your operations or if you have suggestions of other calculators that might be helpful, please email us at [email protected].
www.surfacecombustion.com
Surface Combustion, Maumee, Ohio, introduces Surface Depths Calculators, which enable engineers and customers alike to complete quick, accurate calculations from the shop floor.
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Specially designed Zeiss camera lenses traveled with Apollo 11 to the Moon 50 years ago
July 19, 2019
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Zeiss, Oberkochen, Germany, reports that in October 1968, the company received the order for a camera lens to be used during the Moon landing, which was scheduled to take place a mere nine months later as part of the Apollo 11 mission.
“The time for development was extremely brief,†says Dr. Vladan Blahnik, who works in research and development at Zeiss. The optical data for the preceding model, the Biogon 4.5/38, still had to be calculated manually, an extremely time-consuming process. However, a mainframe computer helped to determine the mathematical parameters for the Biogon 5.6/60, the camera lens designed for the Moon landing, in only a couple of weeks. Dr. Erhard Glatzel (1925-2002), a leading mathematician from the optical design department, received the Apollo Achievement Award for this and the development of other special camera lenses for space photography.
The customized Zeiss Biogon 5.6/60 “Moon lens†had to meet a number of requirements. While it was supposed to work within an easy-to-use camera, it also had to precisely map the lunar surface around the landing site.
“They decided on a camera fitted with a Reseau plate, which created a grid of cross-marks on the images. These made it possible to calculate the distances between individual objects on the Moon,†explains Dr. Blahnik. “The special symmetric design of the camera lens provided an excellent correction for distortions and all other image errors.†A straight line remains a straight line. The images have great definition and edge-to-edge contrast.
Apart from the Biogon used on the surface of the Moon, Zeiss designed a number of other special camera lenses for space photography in the 1960s, among them lenses that could transmit UV-waves, or extremely fast lenses such as the Planar 0.7/50. Engineers continue to benefit from this research until the present day. Some examples are the development of fast lenses for professional movie cameras, lenses for aerial photography used in surveying the Earth’s surface, and lithographic lenses employed in the production of microchips.
The camera lens was a small but significant contribution to the Apollo 11 lunar mission. And, the cameras with the Zeiss lenses are still up there on the Moon, because on the return journey the astronauts wanted to save every gram in order to take back as many samples of Moon rocks as possible. Only the valuable exposed film made it back to Earth.
www.zeiss.com
https://www.zeiss.com/corporate/int/newsroom/press-releases.html?id=moon-landing_2019&%3fcpintpi1hp
www.zeiss.com
Zeiss, Oberkochen, Germany, reports that in October 1968, the company received the order for a camera lens to be used during the Moon landing, which was scheduled to take place a mere nine months later as part of the Apollo 11 mission.
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Sandvik acquires stake in Beam IT for its additive manufacturing capabilities
July 16, 2019
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Sandvik, Stockholm, announces that it has acquired a 30% stake in privately owned Italian company Beam IT, a leading provider of metal additive manufacturing (AM) services and advanced end-use components.
“The investment in Beam IT will complement our existing offer in Additive Manufacturing. It is also in line with Sandvik’s strategic ambition to become a leading solution provider for the wider component manufacturing industry,†says Lars Bergström, President of Sandvik Machining Solutions.
Beam IT is a trusted supplier of metal AM end-components to demanding industries, including automotive, energy and aerospace, and holds several relevant quality certifications to serve these industries. The company has more than 20 years of experience within Additive Manufacturing (AM) and has more than 20 Powder Bed Fusion printers installed.
“The AM sector is developing fast and there is a need for AM-specialist-partners with the advanced skills and resources required to help industrial customers develop and launch their AM programs. With this investment we provide our customers with the opportunity to access the complementary and combined power of Sandvik and Beam IT, says Kristian Egeberg, President of the Additive Manufacturing division in Sandvik.
https://www.home.sandvik/en/search/?q=%22beam+IT%22
www.beam-it.eu
Sandvik, Stockholm, announces that it has acquired a 30% stake in privately owned Italian company Beam IT, a leading provider of metal additive manufacturing (AM) services and advanced end-use components.
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MS&T 2019 Symposium: Advanced High Strength Steels / From Design to End Users
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This Symposium will focus on recent achievements in Advanced High Strength Steels (AHSS) development, from innovations in steel production and post-processing, to forming parts through various approaches and end-use applications.
Over the past decade, the steel industry has been making a sustained effort to fulfill the needs of modern technological progress for continuously growing demand for property enhancement. Many existing strategies are being pursued towards this goal; however, challenges still exist in AHSS utilization related to its formability for lightweighting applications such as body parts and components for automotive industry.
The aim of this Symposium is to foster interaction and communication between materials scientists, designers, and end users to share achievements in materials properties and performance of AHSS, bridging the gap between laboratory studies on small/subsize samples to those found from commercial sheet and stamped parts produced on an industrial scale.
Organizers: Alla V. Sergueeva, Daniel James Branagan, The NanoSteel Company
To see the list of 21 presentations scheduled for this symposium, visit
http://www.matscitech.org/MST19/TechnicalProgram
Click on “Technical Program†and scroll down to “Iron and Steel (Ferrous Alloys)â€
This Symposium will focus on recent achievements in Advanced High Strength Steels (AHSS) development, from innovations in steel production and post-processing, to forming parts through various approaches and end-use applications.
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United States Army awards $15 million to 3D Systems to develop largest 3D metal printer
July 14, 2019
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3D Systems, Rock Hill, S.C., announces that it has been awarded a $15 million contract by the Combat Capabilities Development Command of the U.S. Army Research Laboratory to build the world’s largest, fastest, most precise metal 3D printer. The printer’s build envelope is planned to be 1000 x 1000 x 600 mm, with the ability to build minimum wall thickness of 100 µm and layer thickness of 30 µm. This is a significant increase over current large-scale metal 3D printers, which have a build envelope of 500 mm x 500 mm x 500 mm.
The goal is to revolutionize key supply chains associated with long-range munitions, next-generation combat vehicles, helicopters, and air and missile defense capabilities. 3D Systems and the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) were awarded funding to create this revolutionary printer and will partner with ARL and the Advanced Manufacturing, Materials, and Processes (AMMP) Program to advance the leadership and innovation of the world’s strongest military.
According to the U.S. Army Additive Manufacturing Implementation Plan, the Army has been using additive manufacturing (AM) for two decades to refurbish worn parts and create custom tools. Once developed, the Army will leverage its manufacturing experience by placing the new large-scale systems in its depots and labs. Subsequently, 3D Systems and its partners plan to make the new 3D printer technology available to leading aerospace and defense suppliers for development of future Army platforms.
In addition to bringing a new metal AM solution to the Army, 3D Systems will also evaluate the feasibility of integrating the new technologies and processes into its existing portfolio of 3D printer technologies.
www.3dsystems.com
3D Systems, Rock Hill, S.C., announces that it has been awarded a $15 million contract by the Combat Capabilities Development Command of the U.S. Army Research Laboratory to build the world’s largest, fastest, most precise metal 3D printer.
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OECD says global steelmaking capacity could grow by as much as 5% by 2021
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The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Paris, reports that global steelmaking capacity declined slightly in 2018, but projects that are underway now or have been proposed could bring about more than 100 million metric tons of new capacity over the next three years.
In a new report on the world’s excess steelmaking capacity, the OECD said that nominal capacity stood at 2.23 billion metric tons at the end of 2018. While that represents a decline of about 0.3% over 2017 and follows an ongoing deceleration in capacity growth, capacity growth could speed back up. According to the OECD, 87.8 million tons of new capacity is being built now, and there are plans for an additional 22.4 million metric tons of capacity.
“Should these projects be realized, global steelmaking capacity could increase by approximately 4% to 5% between 2019 and 2021 in the absence of closures. In the context of global excess capacity, it will be important for policymakers to continue closely monitoring investments and closures that take place in the steel industry,†the OECD said. The biggest jump in capacity could occur in Asia, where 53.4 million metric tons of gross capacity additions are currently underway and 10 million metric tons are in the planning stages. Several capacity investments are also taking place in the Middle East region, where investment projects amounting to 25.1 million metric tons of capacity are currently underway, and due for completion in the next three years.
https://www.oecd.org/sti/ind/steelcapacity.htm
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Paris, reports that global steelmaking capacity declined slightly in 2018, but projects that are underway now or have been proposed could bring about more than 100 million metric tons of new capacity over the next three years.
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Seco Warwick develops augmented reality to enable users to view systems, processes
July 11, 2019
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Seco Warwick, Meadville, Pa., announces that it partnered with Microsoft to adapt its holographic computer systems, HoloLens, to metallurgical applications in the manufacturing environment. According to Seco, it is the first use of this technology by the heat treatment industry.
Called SecoLens, the company says that the augmented reality system can superimpose a 3D model of a specific piece of equipment or an entire technological line, enabling monitoring, diagnostics, maintenance, remote repair, and planning the most optimal layout of the production line on the plant floor. Seco/Lens can reportedly create a very accurate visualization of the system, permitting staff training on the operation of the equipment without the need for expensive and time-consuming travel.
The company also uses augmented reality technology to present its newest products, enabling users to see the furnace from every side – they interact with it by rotating, zooming in and out the 3D object.
www.secowarwick.com
Seco Warwick, Meadville, Pa., announces that it partnered with Microsoft to adapt its holographic computer systems, HoloLens, to metallurgical applications in the manufacturing environment.
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