Heat Treatment of High Manganese Austenitic Steel: Structural and Mechanical Properties

Background: Technological progress is based on the development of different types of materials. Among the materials most solicited, we mention metals and alloys. The development of these materials has been initiated and resulted in a wide range of metallic materials, including austenitic manganese, constituting, until today, a center of interest for various research works given their wide use in the industry as well as the recent progress by observation and characterization instruments. Objective: The aim of the paper is to investigate the heat treatment conditions of high manganese austenitic steel and to determine their influence on the structure and mechanical properties. Methods: The samples were subjected to an austenitization treatment at five different temperatures: 980 °C, 1000 °C, 1020 °C, 1040 °C, and 1060 °C for 1 hour. The experimental techniques used are hardness, nanoindentation tests, optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Hardness and microhardness measurements were performed to determine the wear behavior of the studied steels. Result: The results indicated that the temperature affects the microstructure; by increasing the austenitizing temperature with pronounced growth of the austenite as well as the dissolution of carbides M7C3, the nano hardness and the modulus of elasticity decreases considerably. Conclusion: The heat treatment of materials modifying the microstructure is closely related to the mechanical behavior of the austenitic manganese steel. Therefore, the control of structural changes by heat treatment is essential to obtain the desired properties. The established heat treatment conditions of the obtained steel can be suitable for several industrial applications.