Slurry Erosion Response of Heat Treated 13Cr-4Ni Martensitic Stainless Steel

Abstract

In the present work, effect of various heat treatments on slurry erosion behavior of 13Cr-4Ni martensitic stainless steel (MSS) at different impingement angles has been studied. The as-received cast bars of MSS were given various heat treatments. These heat treatments involved the austenitization of cast steel at temperatures of 950° C, 1000° C and 1050° C for different soaking durations of 2, 4 and 6 h at each temperature. This was followed by oil quenching then tempering for 1 h at a 600° C air cooled. Heat treated MSS samples were characterized for microstructure and mechanical properties viz. hardness, ductility (% elongation), tensile strength (UTS), and toughness. For wear characterization, slurry erosion tests were conducted at different impingement angles for as-received cast and heat treated samples. The heat treated MSS shows approximately 34% lesser weight loss as compared to as-received cast MSS. Increase in toughness of heat treated samples is found to be responsible for the improved slurry erosion resistance. Impingement angle close to 0° showed least wear loss.