Heat treatment behavior of alternator shafts steels

The present paper analyzes properties such as the hardness, the tensile and toughness behaviour and the microstructure for multiple bars of C40 and C45 steel used for shafts in alternators. The materials have been manufactured by rolling processes, followed by normalization treatments or forging processes followed by normalization treatments. Heat treatments are performed on steels to produce different microstructural phases that affect the mechanical properties. Microstructural changes during austenite decomposition depend on the transformation temperature region and cooling rate. Over the years, many experimental studies have been performed to reveal the microstructural changes during isothermal holding or continuous cooling of austenite for various kinds of steels. The isothermal transformation (IT) diagram, which is also called the time-temperature-transformation (TTT) diagram, and the continuous cooling transformation (CCT) diagram have been developed to graphically characterize the decomposition transformation as a function of time and temperature. However, when these diagrams are based on experimental measurements, several limitations are present. Each diagram is limited because the temperatures at which specific transformations occur can vary due to several factors, such as: the chemical composition of steel, the solid solution condition in the austenite prior to cooling and transformation, the presence of precipitates in austenite, the prior austenite grain size, and the applied stresses during the transformation.