Behavior of Aluminum Nitride, Austenite Grain Size, and Its Coarsening Temperature in Low Alloy Steels

Abstract

The austenite grain coarsening temperature of low carbon alloy steels has been studied for various conditions of heat treatment, and the results are discussed in terms of the effects of particle size of aluminum nitride and the initial grain size of austenite.
It is found that the preheat treatment of the isothermal reaction type with regard to aluminum nitride has an influence on the austenite grain coarsening temperature through its effect on the particle size of aluminum nitride, whereas the quench and temper type of heat treatment has an effect both on the particle size of aluminum nitride and the initial grain size of austenite.
The effect of the microstructure and the prior grain size of austenite on the initial austenite grain size have also been investigated.