Material Properties of Steel
Institution
Western Kentucky University
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Christopher Byrne
Abstract
The objective of this research project was to determine the influence of cold work and heat treatment on the formability of steel plates. Steel specimens were tested in tension to determine Young’s modulus, apparent yield strength, ultimate tensile strength and ductility. Twenty-four specimens were tested for this project. Of these, twelve were annealed and twelve were tested as received. For each set of twelve, six were oriented with the original rolling direction and the remaining six were oriented normal to the rolling direction. Rockwell hardness of each specimen was also measured. The results indicated the direction of the grain had little influence over the steel strength. Annealed specimens exhibited a substantial reduction of strength and hardness compared to the material as received. Both hardness and yield strength were reduced by approximately 50%. This work demonstrated that the steel plate received had a significant amount of strain hardening that could be reduced by heat treatment making it easier to form in an industrial application.
Material Properties of Steel
The objective of this research project was to determine the influence of cold work and heat treatment on the formability of steel plates. Steel specimens were tested in tension to determine Young’s modulus, apparent yield strength, ultimate tensile strength and ductility. Twenty-four specimens were tested for this project. Of these, twelve were annealed and twelve were tested as received. For each set of twelve, six were oriented with the original rolling direction and the remaining six were oriented normal to the rolling direction. Rockwell hardness of each specimen was also measured. The results indicated the direction of the grain had little influence over the steel strength. Annealed specimens exhibited a substantial reduction of strength and hardness compared to the material as received. Both hardness and yield strength were reduced by approximately 50%. This work demonstrated that the steel plate received had a significant amount of strain hardening that could be reduced by heat treatment making it easier to form in an industrial application.