Komatsu Corporation

Osaka University

Yoritoshi Minamino

Koji Yamamoto

Yusuke Hiratsuka

Takemori Takayama

Shohei Ikurumi

Takeshi Fujimatsu

Koji Hagihara

Toshiyuki Sugimoto

A steel with high hardness and excellent toughness contains, in mass %, 0.55-1.10% C, 0.10-2.00% Si, 0.10-2.00% Mn, 0.030% or less P, 0.030% or less S, 1.10-2.50% Cr, and 0.010-0.10% Al, with the balance consisting of Fe and unavoidable impurities. The structure of the steel after quenching is a dual phase structure of martensitic structure and spheroidized carbide. Spheroidized cementite particles with an aspect ratio of 1.5 or less constitute at least 90% of all cementite particles. The proportion of the number of spheroidized cementite particles on the prior austenite grain boundaries to a total number of cementite particles is 20% or less.

Steel with high hardness and excellent toughness

A steel with high hardness and excellent toughness contains, in mass %, 0.40-1.00% C, 0.10-2.00% Si, 0.10-1.00% Mn, 0.030% or less P, 0.030% or less S, 1.10-3.20% Cr, 0.010-0.10% Al, and 0.15-0.50% V, and further contains at least one or two of 2.50% or less Ni and 1.00% or less Mo, with an amount of (C+V) being 0.60% or more in mass %, with the balance consisting of Fe and unavoidable impurities. The steel has a microstructure which is a martensitic structure with finely dispersed Fe-based &#x3b5; carbides, with its prior austenite grain size being 20 &#x3bc;m or less.

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Suita, Japan

Yoritoshi Minamino