The effects of heat treatment on the mechanical properties of multicomponent white cast irons

Multicomponent white cast irons contain many kinds of strong carbide-forming elements in order to obtain a very hard microstructure characterized by the presence of different carbides that are well dispersed in a martensitic matrix. The heat treatment of these products consists of high temperature austenization followed by quenching and two temperings, as required in order to increase their overall hardness and to completely eliminate residual austenite. The influence of tempering temperatures on the mechanical properties of these products, determined using tensile, hot compression and fracture toughness tests, was studied in this research work. Their corresponding failure micromechanisms were defined by means of the analysis of fracture surfaces.