ABSTRACT

The purpose of this lab is to identify the correlation between carbon content and alloying
elements on the hardenability of steel and steel alloys. A steel bar with 100mm of length is
subjected to a Jominy End Quench Test. The region of cooling are recorded and shown in a
graph, as tested by Mitutoyo

Hardness Testing machine. Hardenability of steel can be measured by performing this

jominy test. Apart from that, we also drawn various specimens that shown different
microstructure changes due to the cooling rate of the specimen after been heated using this
Jominy test.

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Contents

1.0 List of Figure........................................................................................................................ 3

2.0 List of Table ......................................................................................................................... 4

3.0 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 5

4.0 Theoretical Background ....................................................................................................... 6

4.1 Hardenability .................................................................................................................... 7

4.2 Hardness ........................................................................................................................... 8

5.0 Objective .............................................................................................................................. 9

6.0 Apparatus ........................................................................................................................... 10

7.0 Procedure ........................................................................................................................... 11

8.0 Result of the Experiment ................................................................................................... 12

9.0 Discussion .......................................................................................................................... 14

10.0 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 15

11.0 Reference ........................................................................................................................... 16

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1.0 List of Figure

Figure 1 : Jominy-End Quench diagram and plotting ..................................................................... 6

Figure 2 : End Quench Machine C/W Drop Bottom Furnace ...................................................... 10

Figure 3 : Mitutoyo hardness tester machine ................................................................................ 10

3
2.0 List of Table

Table 1 : Hardness level, corresponding dent measurement tabulated at length of steel bar ....... 12

4
3.0 Introduction

The hardenability of a metal alloy is the depth up to which a material is hardened after
putting through a heat treatment process. The unit of hardenability is the same as of length. It is
an indication of how deep into the material a certain hardness can be achieved. It should not be
confused with hardness, which is a measure of a sample's resistance to indentation or scratching.
It is an important property for welding, since it is inversely proportional to weldability, that is,
the ease of welding a material.

When a steel work-piece is quenched, the area in contact with the water immediately cools
and temperature evens out with the quenching medium. The inner depths of the material
however, do not cool quite so rapidly, and in work-pieces that are large, the cooling rate may be
slow enough to allow the austenite to transform fully into a structure other than martensite or
bainite. This results in a work-piece that does not have the same crystal structure throughout its
entire structure; with a softer core and harder "shell". The softer core is some combination of
ferrite and cementite, such as pearlite.

Hardenability of steels can be measured using the Jominy end test. The Jominy end test
testifies the incidence of the composition of the alloy and heat treatment procedures for
manufacturing purposes. The hardenability of a ferrous alloy is measured by a Jominy test which
a round metal bar of standard size is transformed to 100% austenite through heat treatment, and
is then quenched on one end with room-temperature water. Subsequent to cooling a flat surface
is ground on the test piece and the hardenability is then found by measuring the hardness along
the bar. The farther away from the quenched end that the hardness extends, the higher the
hardenability. This information is plotted on a hardenability graph.

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4.0 Theoretical Background

The steel sample is normalized to eliminate differences in microstructure due to previous

forging, and then austenitized. This is usually at a temperature of 800 to 900°C. The test sample
is quickly transferred to the test machine, where it is held vertically and sprayed with a
controlled flow of water onto one end of the sample. This cools the specimen from one end,
simulating the effect of quenching a larger steel component in water.

The cooling rate varies along the length of the sample from very rapid at the quenched
end, to rates equivalent to air-cooling at the other end.

Figure 1 : Jominy-End Quench diagram and plotting

High hardness occurs where high volume fractions of martensite develop. Lower
hardness indicates transformation to bainite or ferrite/pearlite microstructures.

Jominy end quench hardness data for two steels of different hardenability can be seen in a
later section of this TLP, with images of the microstructure variation along the length of the
sample.

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4.1 Hardenability

The hardenability of a metal alloy is the depth up to which a material is hardened after
putting through a heat treatment process. The unit of hardenability is the same as of length. It is
an indication of how deep into the material that hardness can be achieved. It should not be
confused with hardness, which is a measure of a sample's resistance to indentation or scratching.
It is an important property for welding, since it is inversely proportional to weld ability, that is,
the ease of welding a material.

The hardenability of ferrous alloys, i.e. steels, is a function of the carbon content and
other alloying elements and the grain size of the austenite. The relative importance of the various
alloying elements is calculated by finding the equivalent carbon content of the material. The
fluid used for quenching the material influences the cooling rate due to varying thermal
conductivities and specific heats.

Substances like brine and water cool much more quickly than oil or air. Additionally, if
the fluid is agitated cooling occurs even more quickly. The geometry of the part also affects the
cooling rate: of two samples of equal volume, the one with higher surface area will cool faster.

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4.2 Hardness

The Metals Handbook defines hardness as "Resistance of metal to plastic deformation,

usually by indentation. However, the term may also refer to stiffness or temper, or to resistance
to scratching, abrasion, or cutting. It is the property of a metal, which gives it the ability to resist
being permanently, deformed (bent, broken, or have its shape changed), when a load is applied.
The greater the hardness of the metal, the greater resistance it has to deformation.

In mineralogy, the property of matter commonly described as the resistance of a

substance to being scratched by another substance. In metallurgy hardness is defined as the
ability of a material to resist plastic deformation.

The dictionary of Metallurgy defines the indentation hardness as the resistance of a

material to indentation. This is the usual type of hardness test, in which a pointed or rounded
indenter is pressed into a surface under a substantially static load. Hardenability can be measured
using the Jominy end quench test.

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5.0 Objective

1. Understand the relation between hardness to the cooling rate of the specimen after been

heated (quenching) using the Jominy Test method.

2. Understand microstructure changes to the cooling rate of the specimen after been heated

(quenching) using the Jominy Test method.

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6.0 Apparatus

1) A steel specimen with 0.3% Carbon with 100mm length

2) A furnace

Figure 2 : End Quench Machine C/W Drop Bottom Furnace

3) Mitutoyo Hardness Tester

Figure 3 : Mitutoyo hardness tester machine

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7.0 Procedure

1. To perform the Jominy Test, firstly we have to prepare the cylindrical specimen.

2. Before the test we need to normalized the specimen to eliminate differences in microstructure

due to previous forging, and then it is austenitised. This is usually at a temperature of 800 to

900°C

3. Next, the specimen is rapidly transferred to the test machine, where it is held vertically and

sprayed with a controlled flow of water onto one end of the sample.

4. Next, the specimen is ground flat along its length to remove decarburized material

5. The hardness is measured at intervals along its length beginning at the quenched end. For an

interval of 5mm, 10mm and 15mm.

6. Finally the Rockwell or Vickers hardness values are recorded and plotted versus distance

from the quenched end.

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8.0 Result of the Experiment

Table 1 : Hardness level, corresponding dent measurement tabulated at length of steel bar

Distance (mm) D1 D2 Hardness (HV)

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
60
70
80
90
100

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 Hardness vs Distance
500

450

400

350

300
Hardness (HV)

250

200

150

100

50

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 60 70 80 90 100
Distance (mm)

Graph 1 : Plotting of hardness level against bar length

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9.0 Discussion

14
10.0 Conclusion

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11.0 Reference

1. Industrial Heating. (2009).Understanding The Jominy End Quench Test.Retrieved March 22,

2009

2. http://www.industrialheating.com/CDA/Archives/22d2fcf0ddbb7010VgnVCM100000f932a

3. Manual of Applied Mechanics Lab MEC424 – The Jominy End-Quench Test

4. Materials Science and Engineering, George E. Dieter, 3rd edition McGraw-Hill

5. http://www.threeplanes.net/cementite.html

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