Effects of carbon content and heat treatment on wear-resistance and impact properties of novel cast steels with bainitic and martensitic structure

Abstract The traditional material for caterpillar boards is mainly Hadfield steel. The wear resistance of the Hadfield steel cannot be fully exerted due to insufficient work hardening during the operation of the caterpillar board. The effects of carbon content and heat treatment on the wear-resistant and impact properties of a novel caterpillar board cast steels with bainitic and martensitic structures have been investigated. The microstructural observation of worn surface topography was performed by scanning an electronic microscope, and the impact toughness was carried out by an impact tester, in a bid to improve the wear-resistant properties and its impact toughness. The results demonstrate that the hardness and wear-resistant properties of cast steels increase with the increase of carbon content, whereas the impact properties reduce because the brittle phases, such as the carbide precipitation and the martensite, are more. The heat treatment temperature of steels can change the relative ratio of bainitic and martensitic structures, thus affecting the wear-resistant properties of the steels. By controlling the carbon content and heat treatment processing of the steels, the optimal combination of toughness and wear-resistant properties can be achieved. The wear mechanism of dual-phase cast steel was analyzed through wear resistance tests, and it also shows that dual-phase cast steel with bainitic and martensitic structures had better wear-resistance properties compared to the Hadfield steel at low-impact wear conditions.