In the present work, we have used unconventional short-term secondary recrystallization heat treatment employing extraordinary high heating rate to develop coarse-grained microstructure with enhanced intensity of rotating cube texture {100} in semi-finish vacuum degassed non-oriented electrical steels. The soft magnetic properties were improved through the increase of grains size with favourable cube crystallographic orientation. The appropriate final textural state of the treated experimental steels was achieved by strain-induced grain boundary migration mechanism, activated by gradient of accumulated stored deformation energy between neighbouring grains after the application of soft cold work, combined with steep temperature gradient during subsequent heat treatment under dynamic heating conditions. The materials in our experimentally prepared material states were mounted on the stator and rotor segments of electrical motors and examined for their efficiency in real operational conditions. Moreover, conventionally long-term heat treated materials, prepared in industrial conditions, were also tested for reference. The results show that the electrical motor containing the segments treated by our innovative approach, exhibits more than 1.2% higher efficiency, compared to the motor containing conventionally heat treated materials. The obtained efficiency enhancement can be directly related to the improved microstructural and textural characteristics of our unconventionally heat treated materials, specifically the homogenous coarse grained microstructure and the high intensity of cube and Goss crystallographic texture.

Materials used in abrasive wear conditions are usually selected according to their microstructure and hardness, however, other factors such as grain size, matrix saturation, carbides size and morphology are rarely considered. Therefore, the present study deals with the influence of different heat and chemical-heat treatments including their combination on abrasive wear resistance of X210Cr12 tool steel. The effects of material hardness, carbide morphology and microstructure on wear resistance after quenching and nitriding were also investigated. One sample series was quenched after austenitization at 960 °C for 20 min and tempered at 180 °C for 2 h. The second sample series was quenched from 1060 °C austenitization for 20 min and afterwards twice tempered at 530 °C for 1 h. From both the quenched and tempered states, one half of the samples was gas nitrided in NH₃ atmosphere for 3 h and then diffusion annealed in N₂ atmosphere for 4 h. Abrasion wear tests were performed by sliding the samples on Al₂O₃ paper. The samples weight loss was considered the main criterion for the wear resistance evaluation. The microstructures, nitrided layers and worn surfaces were observed using SEM microscopy. The highest abrasion wear resistance was obtained for the nitrided samples that were previously quenched from 1060 °C and tempered at 530 °C.

Five different alloy hardfacings on 16MnCr5 grade low-carbon ferritic–pearlitic steel were investigated in terms of their abrasive wear resistance in laboratory testing conditions. The selected hardfacing materials, namely “E520 RB”, “RD 571”, “LNM 420FM”, “E DUR 600”, and “Weartrode 62”, were individually deposited onto plain ground-finish surfaces of 10 mm thick steel plate samples. The studied hardfacings were fabricated using several different welding methods and process parameters proposed by their industrial manufacturers. In the present comparative study, the results obtained from laboratory abrasive wear tests of the investigated hardfacings were analyzed and discussed in relation to their microstructure, hardness, and wear mechanism characteristics. Regardless of great variety in microstructure and chemical composition of individual hardfacing materials, the results clearly indicated the governing factor for the wear resistance improvement to be the overall carbon content of the used hardfacing material. Thus it has been shown that the “E520 RB” hardfacing exhibited the highest abrasive wear resistance thanks to its appropriate hardness and beneficial “ledeburite-type” eutectic microstructure.

The present study deals with the effects of laser surface treatment on microstructure evolution and wear resistance of AISI H11 hot work tool steel in quenched and tempered condition. The most upper laser-affected zone is characterized by re-melted microstructure consisting of dendrite cells with fresh non-tempered martensite, retained austenite and inter-dendritic carbidic network. The subsolidus microstructure just beneath the re-melted zone represents the most laser surface hardened zone consisting of fresh non-tempered martensite with fine and coarse carbides as a result of overheating the original QT substrate microstructure. The highest microhardness values in the range from 775 to 857 HV were measured for the LSH microstructure and the most softened microstructure exhibited the minimum hardness of 530 HV. The laser treated samples showed the improvement of their surface wear resistance by 35%.

This paper deals with long-term ageing effects of 9Cr-1.5Mo-1Co-VNbBN (CB2) steel weldment on its impact toughness, creep rupture behaviour, and hardness in relation to microstructure and fracture characteristics. The weldment was studied in PWHT state and after isothermal expositions at 625°C for 10000 and 30000 hours. Microstructure evolution was studied using analytical scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Charpy V-notch impact toughness tests were performed for all heat-treated states with a notch location in distinct weld regions such as weld metal (WM), heat-affected zone (HAZ), and base material (BM). The overheated HAZ region exhibited the lowest impact toughness as a result of severe welding induced microstructure degradation. Creep tests were performed at 625°C in the stress range between 80 and 120 MPa. At the highest applied stress, creep fracture occurred in WM, whereas at lower stresses the failure position shifted towards fusion zone at WM/HAZ interface. The hardness profiles experienced significant scattering due to weld microstructural heterogeneity. The major fracture mechanisms involved transgranular quasi cleavage and intergranular creep cracking in impact and creep loading conditions, respectively.