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Plasma diode electron beam heat treatment of cast iron: Effect of direct preheating

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Abstract

Cast iron is relatively cheap and highly machinable and is thus used for various mechanical parts. However, cast iron (H2 grade) is a high-carbon steel that shows cracks or craters owing to the martensitic transformation during conventional surface heat treatments. In this study, we investigated electron-beam (e-beam)-based direct preheating for preventing the formation of craters and cracks during the heat treatment of cast iron using a plasma diode e-beam. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and hardness measurements were performed to elucidate the crater and crack formation mechanism. Craters were formed within the graphite phase, owing to the low-melting-point elements and compounds. It was also observed that crack and crater formation was correlated to the distortion of the primary gamma phase, based on a significant decrease in the d-spacings. The direct preheating process resulted in a lower degree of distortion of the gamma phase. As a result, we could achieve a hardness as high as 800 HV without cracks or craters in cast iron, which is a cheap material. Moreover, the results of potentiodynamic polarization tests showed that the corrosion resistance increased after the surface treatment, owing to the removal of the low-melting-point impurities and grain refinement.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. IT Convergence Manufacturing Process Group, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, 143, Hanggaul-ro, Sangnok-gu, Ansan-si, Gyeonggi-do, 15588, South Korea

    Eun Goo Kang & Hon Zong Choi

  2. School of Mechanical Engineering, Yonsei University, 50, Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, South Korea

    Eun Goo Kang, Byung-Kwon Min & Sang Jo Lee

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  1. Eun Goo Kang
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  2. Hon Zong Choi
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  3. Byung-Kwon Min
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  4. Sang Jo Lee
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Correspondence to Sang Jo Lee.

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Kang, E.G., Choi, H.Z., Min, BK. et al. Plasma diode electron beam heat treatment of cast iron: Effect of direct preheating. Int. J. Precis. Eng. Manuf. 18, 1339–1345 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12541-017-0159-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12541-017-0159-4

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