One of the most demanded materials in the field of human activity is steel. An alloy of iron and carbon has unique technical characteristics, thanks to which the versatility of this material is ensured. And among the best are the technical characteristics of 40x13 steel, which is why it is used in a fairly large number of production processes.
Steel marking
In order to understand the characteristics inherent in the presented material, it is necessary to understand what its labeling means. There are a large number of steels in the world, all differ in their properties. Moreover, every day a new brand of material can be produced. Therefore, you should understand the abbreviation of the product.
Steel 40x13 is alloyed, that is, in its composition, in addition to carbon and iron, there are other active elements. In this case, chromium is contained: this is indicated by the letter X in the marking. Its percentage is 1.3 percent. But the technical characteristics of 40x13 steel depend mainly on the amount of carbon contained in it. In this case, the material contains 0.40 percent of the element with atomic number 6.
Alloy steel production
Alloy steel production technology includes several stages, which are mainly carried out in electric arc furnaces:
- Refining of iron ore.
- Smelt steel.
- Introduction of additional additives.
First of all, iron ore is purified: they get rid of foreign components, mainly sulfur and phosphorus. This process is carried out in open smelting furnaces using out-of-furnace processing technology. Refining process - removal of arsenic and impurities of non-ferrous metals from the composition. It is carried out by means of vacuum melting.
The next stage in the manufacture of an alloyed steel grade consists directly in the smelting of the steel product. For this, raw materials are heated in an electric arc furnace to a temperature of 400 to 600 degrees. During melting, iron turns into cast iron, which has an unstable crystal lattice. By stabilizing it, steel is obtained.
To do this, oxygen is supplied to the chamber, which, when burned, emits carbon into the atmosphere of the furnace. It, mixing with iron, converts cast iron into steel. After that, dissimilar additives (in our case, chromium) are added to the raw materials. As a result, the crystal lattice of the metal product becomes even more dense, and an alloyed product is obtained.
Specifications
The smelting of the alloy steel is followed by the process of quenching and tempering the sample. The sample is hardened at a temperature of 1100 degrees. After that, it is important to observe a gradual vacation, otherwise the sample will be covered with cracks. To prevent this, this event is held at a temperature of 600 degrees.
Thanks to this manufacturing process, the final product has the following technical characteristics:
- Ultimate tensile strength - 1140 MPa.
- The conventional yield point at permanent deformation is 910 MPa.
- Elongation - 12.5 percent for five times the length of the sample.
- Impact strength - 12 J /.
These characteristics allow the material to be used in various spheres of human activity.
Application
The industry has found widespread use of steel 40x13. It is mainly used in humid environments. The chromium contained in it enhances the anti-corrosion properties obtained from conventional hardening.
The presented brand has good indicators of plasticity: at temperatures above 1000 degrees, it is easy to deform. This material is actively used in the production of cutting and measuring tools, household items.
The characteristics of 40x13 steel made it possible to use it in the production of machine parts, mainly bearings and compressor parts. The main condition for using ready-made elements is that the temperature of the working environment should not exceed 400 degrees. In construction, the material is practically not used, because it is not welded.
Anti-corrosion performance and their effect on the use of steel
Steel 40x13 GOST has distinctive indicators of corrosion resistance. It is achieved by quenching the product from a temperature at which the complete dissolution of carbides is ensured. But, if, after heat treatment, the tempering temperature is increased, there will be a decrease in corrosion resistance due to the volatilization of chromium from the material. A decrease in parameters occurs when the release temperature is above 600 degrees.
As a result, in order to obtain more favorable technical characteristics of 40x13 steel, it must be tempered at temperatures from 200 to 300 degrees in order to obtain high hardness and corrosion resistance, or at a temperature of 600-650 Celsius units - to convert the product into steel for structural purposes ...
