Structural Features of Steel 35 after Quenching by Deforming Cutting

Abstract

The structure of steel 35 after high-speed quenching by deforming cutting has been investigated. The phase composition and structural features of the hardened surface layer, consisting of regions (edges) with a similar periodic inhomogeneity, are established. A martensite-like structure of different degree of dispersivity (1–3 µm) is found to be localized in the vicinity of the cutter. A ferrite structure with a grain size of 1.0–1.5 µm dominates in the zone located far from the cutter effect. The revealed periodic structural inhomogeneity is due to the nonuniform temperature distribution during deforming cutting. Partial dissolution and a change in the shape and sizes of cementite plates in the α-Fe matrix as a result of plastic deformation are revealed by electron microscopy.