ISSN: 1945-7553
CODEN: JTEVAB
Page Count: 5

Charpy Transition Studies of an Embrittled AISI 8640 Lower Bainitic Steel

Rinnovatore, JV
metallurgist and failure analyst; mechanical engineer; and engineering technician, U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, Picatinny Arsenal, NJ

Lukens, KF
metallurgist and failure analyst; mechanical engineer; and engineering technician, U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, Picatinny Arsenal, NJ

Reinhold, J
metallurgist and failure analyst; mechanical engineer; and engineering technician, U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, Picatinny Arsenal, NJ

Mahon, W
metallurgist and failure analyst; mechanical engineer; and engineering technician, U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, Picatinny Arsenal, NJ

(Received 27 March 1994; accepted 7 June 1994)

Abstract

A study was performed of the effects of phosphorus and arsenic as embrittling agents on the Charpy impact behavior of resulfurized AISI 8640 steel. The steel was heat-treated to several bainitic and one martensitic condition with a wide range of strength levels. Charpy transition temperature curves were developed for each condition. SEM fractography was used to analyze the fracture behavior of the various heat-treated structures. The results show that AISI 8640 steel with high phosphorus and high arsenic was embrittled in the low-strength bainitic condition as well as in the high-strength martensitic condition. Embrittlement was evidenced by low Charpy impact energies, increased transition temperatures, and an intergranular fracture mode.

Keywords:
embrittlement, Charpy impact, transition temperature, 8640 alloy steel, bainite, phosphorus, arsenic

Paper ID: JTE11855J
DOI: 10.1520/JTE11855J
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