Metal Science and Heat Treatment

Vol. 38, Nos. 9 - 10, 1996

U D C 620.186.12

HARDNESS

OF

CEMENTITE

B. M. Drapkin, 1 G. M. Kimstach, ~ and T. D. Molodtsova ~

Translated from Metallovedenie i Termicheskaya Obrabotka Metallov, No. 9, pp. 37 - 38, September, 1996.
It is known that the temperature of the appearance and
disappearance of cementite contained in different structures
of iron-carbon alloys differs substantially. We have shown [1]
that the magnetic properties of cementite formed from
austenite (i.e., eutectoid and secondary cementite) differ from
those of cementite crystallized from a liquid (eutectic and primary cementite). However, we have not been able to establish
a difference in the properties of cementite within one group.
In the present work we studied the microhardness of cementite in synthetic hypereutectic white cast iron melted in
an IST-006 induction furnace from steel U8 (as received) and
chips of graphite electrodes. Specimens 8 m m in diameter
and 20 m m long were cast into green sand-and-clay molds.
The microhardness was measured on a PMT-3M device under a load of 0.2 and 0.5 N.
Figure 1 presents the microstructure of the investigated
alloy (4.5% C, 0.2% Si, 0.3% Mn, 0.02% P, and 0.02% S),
which is typical for hypereutectic cast iron. The microhardness of primary (Ce I ) and eutectic (Cee) cementites was
measured. The results of the measurements were processed
statistically. It can be seen from Table 1 that the microhard-

TABLE 1
Type of
cementite

F, g

d, ~tm

S2

S, kg/mm 2

P = 0.95,
kg/mm2

CeI

20
50

5.21
8.22

6036.85
2619.88

77.7
51.2

62.0
41.0

1370
1373

Cec

20
50

6.13
9.39

2407.10
9487.00

49.1
30.8

25.0
25.0

988
1054

Notation: F ) load, ~ diagonal of the indentation, S2)variance, S) standard

error, P ) confidence interval at a probability of 0.95, H) microhardness.

nesses of the Ce I and Ce e cementites differ. In order to determine the significance of this difference we used the equations

to 3 ~'-H2
_~4SS:+_1,
n I

(1)

I12

~ = q (nl-1)S~ +(n2-1)S 2
(n I - l ) + ( n

(2)

2-1)
m

where t c is the calculated Student criterion, H 1 and H 2 are the

mean values of the microhardnesses, S is the standard error,
S 2 and S 2 are the corresponding empirical sampling vari-

1 Rybinsk State Aircraft Technology Academy, Rybinsk, Russia.

ances, n I and n 2 are the numbers of measurements of the

hardness of cementites Ce I and Ce c, respectively.

120{

I000

80~

600

0.5

5.0

10

15

20 .~, h

Fig. 2. Microhardness of primary (Ce I ) and eutectic (Ce c ) cementites as a

function of the hold time at 720C.

Fig. 1. Microstructure of the investigated east iron with imprints of a di~

mond pyramid on cementite.

408
0026-0673/96/0910-0408515.00 1997 Plenum Publishing Corporation

409

A comparison of the calculated Student criterion tc and its

tabulated value tt has shown that the difference in the microhardnesses o f C e I and Ce c is significant. In order to determine
the edge effect on the microhardness of cementites Ce t and
Ce c, the significance of the difference in the values of H
measured under a load of 0.2 and 0.5 N was determined by
the same formulas. By calculating te and comparing it with tt
we established that this difference is insignificant, i.e., the
edge effect is absent. Consequently, the difference in the microhardnesses ofcementites Ce~ and Ce e is caused by the special features of the structure or the state. The specimens were
heated to 720C with a prolonged hold and cooled every 2.5 h,
and the microhardnesses of Ce I and Ce c were measured. It

can be seen from Fig. 2 that the difference in the hardnesses

of Cet and Ce c is preserved.
Thus, we have established that the microhardness of primary cementite is higher than that of eutectic cementite, and
the difference is preserved after a prolonged hold at 720C.
The melting (crystallization) temperatures of Ce t and Ce e are
also different.
REFERENCES
1. B. M. Drapkin and G. M. Kinstach, "Investigation of magnetic
properties of cementite in iron-carbon alloys," Chermetinformatsiya, Dep. No. 6003, November 8, 1994.