Induction hardening of C45 and 42CrMo4
Induction hardening of C45 and 42CrMo4
(OP)
Some induction hardening trials have been carried out for me using specimins made in C45 steel. In production however, the material I will use will be 42CrMo4. Unfortunately the C45 tests have produced hardening depths that are just a little under specification.
So, what do you think... will the depth of hardening get a little better or worse when I use 42CrMo4 in production?
Someone has suggested that the CEQ is a way to estimate the performance but Im not so sure. I think other things like thermal and electrical conductivity could play a part in the overall result. Any thoughts gentlemen ?
So, what do you think... will the depth of hardening get a little better or worse when I use 42CrMo4 in production?
Someone has suggested that the CEQ is a way to estimate the performance but Im not so sure. I think other things like thermal and electrical conductivity could play a part in the overall result. Any thoughts gentlemen ?





RE: Induction hardening of C45 and 42CrMo4
Regards,
Cory
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RE: Induction hardening of C45 and 42CrMo4
Thank you for that guidance. Re the hardenability of the two materials, would this be best compared by CEQ or by say a Jominy test (or other ?!) ?
RE: Induction hardening of C45 and 42CrMo4
RE: Induction hardening of C45 and 42CrMo4
I don't know what your depth of hardening specs are, but you may need to consider pretreatment if you want to use the alloy 42CrMo4 and achieve the same case depth.
Pretreatment as in furnace quench & temper or normalize prior to induction hardening. A pretreated microstructure will respond better to induction hardening. Otherwise you could wind up even worse than C45.
If you wanted to use C45, you may want to use a high side chemistry as far as manganese level. Or perhaps consider an elevated manganese steel like 1541 (This is the SAE designation). May also be less expensive than 42CrMo4.
RE: Induction hardening of C45 and 42CrMo4
To answer your specific question, use Jominy or Ideal Diameter, not Carbon equivalent.
RE: Induction hardening of C45 and 42CrMo4
RE: Induction hardening of C45 and 42CrMo4
Gerry