Influence of Cryogenic Treatment on Mechanical Response, Tribological Characteristics and Corrosion Resistance of Selected Structural Steel Grades
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47604/ajcet.3971Keywords:
Deep Cryogenic Treatment, Structural Steels, Wear Resistance, Friction, Corrosion ResistanceAbstract
Purpose: This study investigated the influence of deep cryogenic treatment (DCT) on the mechanical response, tribological characteristics and corrosion resistance of selected structural steels, namely AISI 1040, AISI 1045 and AISI 5140. The study specifically examined the effects of DCT on hardness, tensile response, impact toughness, wear resistance, coefficient of friction, microstructure and corrosion behaviour.
Methodology: Three structural steel grades, AISI 1040, AISI 1045 and AISI 5140 were subjected to conventional heat treatment and deep cryogenic treatment. The cryogenic treatment involved cooling the specimens to approximately −185°C, holding them at that temperature for 24 h, followed by controlled return to ambient temperature and subsequent tempering. The treated and untreated specimens were evaluated using hardness, tensile, impact, wear, coefficient-of-friction, microstructural and electrochemical corrosion tests. The experimental results were comparatively analysed to determine the influence of DCT and tempering conditions on the properties of the selected steels.
Findings: The results showed that deep cryogenic treatment improved the hardness of all three steel grades. Mean hardness increased from 317.715 to 336.160 BHN for AISI 1045, from 414.110 to 453.335 BHN for AISI 5140 and from 252.680 to 276.995 BHN for AISI 1040. Impact toughness also increased from 25.84 to 31.17 J for AISI 1045, from 29.24 to 34.35 J for AISI 5140 and from 25.16 to 31.86 J for AISI 1040. Wear resistance increased substantially following cryogenic treatment, with AISI 5140 recording the highest reported value. The coefficient-of-friction measurements showed values of 1.0355 for AISI 1045, 0.6745 for AISI 5140 and 0.6494 for AISI 1040 under the reported experimental conditions. The corrosion results showed that the response to cryogenic treatment varied according to steel grade and treatment condition.
Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study contributes to the understanding of the relationship between deep cryogenic treatment, microstructural modification and the resulting mechanical and tribological performance of selected structural steels. In practice, the findings demonstrate the potential of DCT as a supplementary treatment for improving hardness, impact toughness and wear resistance of AISI 1040, AISI 1045 and AISI 5140 steels used in engineering components. The findings also provide a basis for selecting appropriate structural steels and treatment conditions for applications involving mechanical loading and wear. From a policy and industrial perspective, the study provides evidence that can support the development of appropriate guidelines for the application and process optimization of cryogenic treatment in structural-steel manufacturing and engineering maintenance.
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