Thank you very much for all the help, I think I am on the right track.
The next challenge I am facing is hydrogen embittlement after Rohs Zinc plating.
We have notice a significant decrease in toughness after plating. So far we have tried baking the parts within 4 hours after plating at 375°F...
We are quickly learning that toughness is more critical than hardness in this application. We were originally shooting for a hardness of RC 43 - 45 to resist drilling/punching etc. This is no long as critical as toughness - resistance to cracking/tearing.
I have attached a drawing so you can...
The part is 0.070" thick. We are currently doing the following which is resulting a a brittle part and a 43RC:
- 1585F for 1 1/2 hours
- Oil quench to room temp (oil maintained at 60°c)
- Temper at 750F for 2 hours
- Air cool to room temp
What have you found to be the most significant factor in...
We are experiencing problems coming up with the best “recipe” for heat treating a 4130 part for toughness (not hardness). Can anyone provide the best parameters for:
- Austentizing
- Quenching
- Tempering
