Hadfield steel characteristics: composition, application

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-17 18:37

The metallurgical industry is one of the most important components of the GDP of every country, and it also produces unique and useful materials. Mankind could not do without the products produced by metallurgical plants. Steel is one of them. There are different types of this material, which are used in many industries. Steel, which has a high ductility and degree of wear, it is also Hadfield steel, is a unique alloy. Requirements for it are regulated by GOST 977-88 and foreign analogues (USA, England, Germany, China, Japan, Finland, Spain, Korea).

Hadfield's history of steel

Based on the name, it can be argued that it was Robert Hadfield who received this alloy. Who was this developer? Robert Hadfield is an English metallurgist who obtained an alloy with increased strength in 1882. Rather quickly, this steel became widespread and turned out to be a very unique material.

After Hadfield developed a unique steel, the military became interested in its development. This is not surprising, since such an alloy is an essential component for creating protective equipment for the military.

Reinforced Infantry Helmets are the first protective gear based on Hadfield steel. Similar helmets were used by soldiers of the British army, then the US military became interested in the development and began their production. Until the 80s, Hadfield steel technology did not change. But since the 80s, an organoplastic has been developed that is as strong as the material developed by the British metallurgist, but was much lighter.

Infantry helmets are not the only uses for Hadfield steel. The British company Vickers was the first to use this high-quality steel for other purposes. The caterpillar tank track began to be produced from the Hadfield alloy in the 20s. Steel increased the mileage of tank tracks from 500 to 4800 kilometers. During the First World War, such an increase in mileage was considered almost a miracle. Hadfield steel has become indispensable for tank building. Soon this alloy was used not only in tank building, but also in other industries. In the USSR, Hadfield steel began to be smelted in 1936.

Hadfield Steel: Composition

Chemical composition
Element (periodic table)	Fe	C	Mn	Si	Other impurities
Content, %	82	1	12	1	4

By analyzing the chemical composition, especially the percentage of carbon and manganese, it can be seen that this is an austenitic steel. This structure increases wear resistance and strengthens the alloy. Thus, the steel is resistant to deformation processes, having a high degree of ductility and impact strength. Metallurgists claim that this alloy was the first alloy steel to be mass-produced.

Hadfield steel properties

Due to its properties, austenitic steel could not be processed by cutting tools, as it has a high toughness. For the manufacture of products from this material, only casting can be suitable.

Hadfield alloy has a high work hardening capability, which is much higher than similar steel alloys. Austenitic steel has low hardness, but also high wear resistance under impact, high pressure and temperature extremes. Based on these characteristics, we can say that the steel of the British metallurgist is suitable for work in aggressive environments.

Features of Hadfield steel welding technology

The thermal conductivity of austenite is much lower than that of other steels, by 4-6 times. The coefficient of thermal expansion is many times greater than that of low-carbon steels - 1.9 times. These are very important characteristics of the metal, as it affects the possibility ofcold cracks in the area of influence of temperatures.

There is a significant possibility of hot cracking, which is due to the casting shrinkage of the alloy, which is 1.6 times that of mild metal. The high temperature transforms the austenitic structure into a martensitic structure, which increases the risk of cracking in the high temperature area.

Hadfield steel applications

Due to its chemical composition, characteristics and characteristics, austenite is used in many industries. Using steel products, you can be sure of their reliability and the highest strength.

Wear-resistant steel is a fairly popular material. A huge number of industrial enterprises that produce high-strength products use Hadfield steel. The following products are made from this alloy:

• Engineering products.
• Trucks for tank tracks.
• Tractors.
• Railway Crosses.
• Switches capable of operating under severe impact and abrasion conditions.
• Prison bars on windows.
• Crusher components.

It is interesting to make prison bars out of austenite. Many believe that this is a formal mockery of prisoners who are trying to escape. According to the classics of the genre, many relatives bring hacksaws for prisoners, who, in the hope of freedom, begin to cut window bars.

In caseusing ordinary metal there is a possibility of escape. But the Hadfield alloy is a wear-resistant steel that cannot be sawn with a conventional hacksaw. If you start sawing gratings from the Hadfield alloy, then hardening of the surface begins, which entails hardening of the austenite. The hacksaw increases the hardness of the grid to the hardness of the hacksaw and above. Therefore, we can talk about the unreality of the escape.

Steel 110G13L

Chemical composition
Element (periodic table)	Ni	C	Mn	Si	S	P	Cr
Content, %	max. 1	0, 9-1, 5	11, 5-15	0, 3-1	max. 0.05	max. 0, 12	max. 1

Steel grade 110G13L - alloyed, which is used for castings and has special properties. This steel has high wear resistance under impact or pressure drops.

Use of steel grade 110G13L

This steel grade is used in the production of the following materials:

• Heavily loaded parts that must be wear resistant.
• Cone crusher.
• Teeth, walls of excavators.
• Case of ball, vortex mills.

Steel grade analogues

Many countries produce similar steel.

England	France	Austria	Czech Republic	China	Italy	Spain	USA	Germany
BW10	Z120M12M Z120M12	BOHLERK700	422920 17618	ZGMn13-1ZGMn13-2	GX120Mn12	AM-X-120Mn12X120Mn12	A128 J91109 J91139J91149 J91129	1.3401 X120Mn12 GX120Mn12

Properties of steel grade 110G13L

Technological and mechanical properties of the material are given in the tables.

Casting properties
Casting shrinkage, %	2, 6-2, 7
Technological properties
Welding	Not used for welded structures
Temper brittleness	No inclination
Flockenosensitivity	No sensitivity

Mechanical properties at T=20oC steel grade 110G13L

Assortment	Size	Ex.	sto	sT	d5	y	KCU	Heat treatment
-	mm	-	MPa	MPa	%	%	kJ / m2	-
Castings, GOST 21357-87			800	400	25	35		Hardening 1050 - 1100 ° C, cooling in water
GOST 977-88	Fur. properties are set according to customer requirements

Heat treatment

The heat treatment of Hadfield steel directly depends on the level of carbon content in the alloy. The higher the carbon level, the higher the temperature should be. For example, if it is at the level of 1% in the alloy, then the temperature should not be lower than 900 degrees. If carbon is 1.5%, then processing is possible at 1000 degrees. If the carbon in the alloy is at the level of 1.6%, then the temperature should be above 1050 degrees. This is followed by cooling with water.

High temperature is necessary for complete dissolution of carbides, which degrade the quality of the casting, and for the growth of austenite grains. The holding time of the casting depends on its thickness. So, the thickness is 30millimeters requires an exposure of 4 hours, and 125 millimeters - in 24 hours.

The wear resistance of Hadfield steel in the cast state is the same as after hardening. The austenite structure is surrounded by a carbide network and behaves under wear conditions in the same way as a homogeneous hardened alloy. That is why it can be argued that cast austenite in some microvolumes has the same toughness and wear resistance as hardened steel. Its increased brittleness is due to the influence of the carbide mesh, which causes a strong concentration of internal stresses.

Hadfield steel was developed decades ago. Today, alloy steel is an integral part of the production of many goods in various industries. Without it, industries such as mechanical engineering, oil and gas, chemical, food, and energy industries would not be able to function normally. Do not forget about construction, tank building and the development of new types of weapons that use new achievements in the metallurgical industry. However, engineers and metallurgists do not fully understand all the properties, features and characteristics of alloy steels.