MICROSTRUCTURE

OF

PRESSED

AND
TsM2A

MECHANICAL

PROPERTIES

ALLOY

Y u . V. M a n e g i n

UDC 620.17:620.18:669.28

The TsM2A molybdenum alloy has been used in a number of b r a n c h e s of industry in r e c e n t y e a r s [1].
The alloying elements (ChMTU 1313-65) a r e : 0.07-0.3~0 Ti, 0.07-0.15% Z r ; the impurities (no more than):
0.003% 02, 0.005% N2, 0.001% H2, 0.004% C.
Round bars were prepared from ingots of the TsM2A alloy by hot pressing. We investigated the
structure and properties of pressed bars produced by different deformation conditions.
The alloy was smelted in a vacuum arc furnace. The ingots were stripped before pressing in a
horizontal 1500-ton hydraulic press. Before deformation the bars were heated in an electric resistance
furnace (molybdenumheating elements) in a protective atmosphere (hydrogen).
Cast bars with a diameter of 78 mm were pressed at a rate of 150-200 mm/sec into rods with diameters of 45, 40, 35, 25, and 20 mm, which corresponded to 68, 75, 81, 86, 90, and 94% strain. The
heating temperature was varied from 1000 to 1600~ (intervals of 150~
Samples for examination of the structure in the form of discs were cut from the middle of the bars
in the longitudinal and transverse directions with respect to the pressing direction.
The macrostructure of the cast metal was characterized by very coarse grains, reaching a cross
section of 2 mm and more (Fig. 1). During pressing the grains became oriented in the pressing direction, were greatly extended, and developed a fibrous structure.
As a consequence of the nonuniformdeformation which is inherent in pressing, the grain size varied
through the cross section of the rods. The outer layer of the metal was subjected to the greatest deformation. This was the general rule for all the pressing conditions and pressing temperatures tested. With
increasing degrees of deformation the difference in the grain size between the outer layer and the core
decreased.
The nonuniformity of the deformation through the cross section can be made substantially worse,
depending on the angle of taper at the entry to the die. It is evident in Fig. 2 that with increasing angles of
taper the irregularity of the deformation through the cross section of the
rod increases. The middle layers of the metal had the same deformed
structure in all the varied treatments. The outer layers were subjected
to considerably greater deformation and had finer grains as the angle of
taper was increased. This can be explained by the fact that as the angle
increases the additional shearing is increased, which varies linearly with
the cross section of the rod from zero in the center to the maximum value
at the outer edge.

Fig. i. Microstructure
the ingot of the TsM2A

of
al-

The influence of the temperature and degree of deformation on the

refinement of the structure of the cast metal during pressing is shown in
Fig. 3. Analysis of the structure, photographed at the point corresponding
to half the radius of the rods, shows that with 68% strain (~ = 3.2) and pressing temperatures
of I000-I150~
the cast structure still remain unworked.
An increase of the temperature to 1300-1600~
induces more intensive

refining of the structure. With 75% strain (p = 4) and pressing temperatures of 1300-1600~
the cast structure is completely broken down, the
loy in the longitudinal s e c g r a i n s are g r e a t l y elongated in the p r e s s i n g direction, and the c r o s s s e c tion.
tion of the grains is r e d u c e d to 0.05-0.15 m m .
TsNIIChERMET. T r a n s l a t e d f r o m Metallovedenie i T e r m i c h e s k a y a Obrabotka Metallov, No. 12,
pp. 44-48, D e c e m b e r , 1966.

1006

Fig. 2. V a r i a t i o n of the m i e r o s t r u c t u r e of p r e s s e d rods with

the angle of t a p e r at the e n t r y to the die. P r e s s i n g t e m p e r a t u r e , 1300~ 86% d e f o r m a t i o n . (xl00). a) C e n t e r a r e a ; b)
outer a r e a .

Fig. 3. Variation of the m i c r o s t r u c t u r e of p r e s s e d rods with the t e m p e r a t u r e and d e g r e e of d e f o r m a t i o n . (x 100).

1007

5,~,%; Oh, kg/mm 2

H~C I

60

S2OOY

~1,'0"i
/ /

1300

~b

-/ /

1 / ~!600 Cl /
l z ,T_.. b/-_~.~ ~ . . ~,. ~
7~

8o

Strain

9o Olo

Fig. 4. Variation of the h a r d ness of p r e s s e d rods of the

TsM2A alloy with the s t r a i n .

6,~, %; ob, kg/mmz

70

50

20

'

200

400

600

BOO

I000 ~

Testing temperature
Fig. 5. Mechanical properties
of the TsM2A alloy p r e s s e d at
different t e m p e r a t u r e s with 94%
strain.
At lower t e m p e r a t u r e s (1000-1150~ the l a r g e
grains still r e m a i n , with intense development of s h e a r
lines.
With f u r t h e r i n c r e a s e of the degree of d e f o r mation the cast s t r u c t u r e was completely broken up
at all t e m p e r a t u r e s . With 90% s t r a i n (~ = 10.2) the
c r o s s section of the grains was 0.015-0.052 m m at
t e m p e r a t u r e s of 1300-1600~ and 0.08-0.09 m m at
1000-1150~
The intensive refining of the east s t r u c t u r e at
higher t e m p e r a t u r e s is the r e s u l t of the c o n s i d e r ably higher degree of s h e a r during p r e s s i n g .

R e c r y s t a l l i z a t i o n of the TsM2A alloy begins to

develop during p r e s s i n g at 1600~
Reerystallization
0
c e n t e r s o c c u r on the g r a i n boundaries and s h e a r lines
7O
80
90 %
when the deformation r e a c h e s 75%. With an i n c r e a s e
Strain
of the degree of deformation to 81% the r e c r y s t a l l i z a Fig. 6. Mechanical p r o p e r t i e s
tion c e n t e r s o c c u r uniformly throughout the c r o s s
of the TsM2A alloy p r e s s e d at
section of the r o d s , and intense g r a i n growth begins
1300~ with varying d e g r e e s of
when the s t r a i n is higher than 86%. The r e c r y s t a l s t r a i n . 1) Testing t e m p e r a t u r e ,
lization p r o c e s s is not completely finished at the d e 20~ 2) 1200~
g r e e s of deformation investigated. With 94% s t r a i n
approximately half the metal is r e c r y s t a l l i z e d . The
c e n t e r s of the rods a r e the most completely r e c r y s t a l l i z e d because they r e m a i n at a t e m p e r a t u r e above the
r e c r y s t a l l i z a t i o n t e m p e r a t u r e (1360~ f o r a longer time. With heating to 1450~ r e c r y s t a l l i z a t i o n nuclei
o c c u r in the c e n t e r s of the rods during p r e s s i n g only when the s t r a i n r e a c h e s 90%; with 94% s t r a i n they
o c c u r throughout the c r o s s section, but principally in the c e n t e r .
At 1300~
tigated.

or lower no r e c r y s t a l l i z a t i o n was o b s e r v e d at any of the d e g r e e s of deformation i n v e s -

The mechanical p r o p e r t i e s of the metal after p r e s s i n g were d e t e r m i n e d in tensile strength tests in

the UVTI machine [2] at different t e m p e r a t u r e s and also by m e a s u r e m e n t s of the hardness of the d i s c s .
The tensile strength s a m p l e s (diameter of 4 mm) were cut f r o m the section of the metal at a point half
way f r o m the c e n t e r to the outer edge of the r o d s .
To prevent oxidation at high t e m p e r a t u r e s the samples were heated in an a t m o s p h e r e of inert gas.
The rate of d e f o r m a t i o n in the tests was 1-3 sec -t.

1008

The hardness of deformed and annealed samples was measured

on the Rockwell apparatus (at least 20 measurements)
in two mutually
perpendicular directions across the discs (Fig. 4). The hardness increased as the testing temperature decreased at all degrees of deformation. The hardness increased as the degree of deformation increased
only at temperatures of I000-I150~
At temperatures of 1300-1600~
the hardness was maximum
at the lowest degree of deformation.

\
k
~1300

\
\
\

~\

1150

\
looo I

70

90

BO

O/o

Strain

Fig. 7. Diagram of the structural changes in the TsM2A

alloy during pressing. I) Region of intensive work hardening; II) region of balance between process of strengthening
and weakening; III) region of
partial recrystallization.

This pattern in the variation of the hardness is involved with the

simultaneously occurring processes of deformation and weakening of
the metal before recrystallization. It should be noted that the temperature of the deformed metal depends not only on the heating temperature but also on the heat resulting from the work of deformation. The
considerable heat given off in the process of deformation of the TsM2A
alloy was confirmed by the change in the temperature of the metal
before and after pressing. For example, with heating of the samples
to 1200~ and 90% strain the temperature of the rods on exit from the
die was 1500~
i.e., above recrystallization temperature.
However, because of the shortness of the pressing time (0.5 sec)
and rapid cooling of the rods, weakening does not have time for complete development, which is confirmed by the 15-20% reduction of the
hardness of pressed samples previously annealed 1 h at 1200~

The variation of the strength and plastic characteristics of the

pressed TsM2A
alloy with the temperature is shown in Fig. 5. In the
range of pressing temperatures investigated the strength of the metal is increased 1.5-2.5 times after deformation. The lowest ductility is found in the metal pressed at 1450-1600~
which is explained by the
partial recrystallization occurring under these conditions of deformation (see Fig. 3).
The samples pressed at I150-1300~
had a satisfactorily high ductility (6 = 15%) in spite of the considerably higher strength (Zb = i00 kg/mm2).
With an increase of the temperature by 300~ the strength
of the metal is reduced sharply (to 57-75 kg/mm 2) and the ductility is increased (5 = 19-32%).
With further increase in the temperature the strength continues to decrease and there is some decrease of the specific elongation. The reduction in section increases up to 600~ and then varies little
up to 1200~
The effect of the degree of
(Fig. 6) is identical to the change
variation of the strength with the
istic that with increasing degrees
metal increases.

deformation on the change of the properties of the pressed TsM2A

alloy
of the hardness for the deformation conditions given (see Fig. 4). The
degree of deformation is similar at 1450 and 1600~
It is characterof deformation of cast samples of the TsM2A
alloy the ductility of the

The character of the effect of the pressing conditions on the structure and mechanical properties of
the TsM2A alloy allows one to draw the curves an' and bb' on the graph of the hardness (Fig. 4) and thereby to distinguish three specific regions. The section to the left of aa' is a region of intense cold hardening of the metal with partial relief of the stresses. The section to the right of bb' is a region of partial
recrystallization of the deformed metal. Between aa' and bb' is an intermediate region in which the magnitude of cold hardening does not vary with the degree of deformation because of the balance between the
processes of strengthening and weakening. From the points of the intersection of aa' and bb' with the
hardness curves one can construct a diagram of the structural changes in temperature - strain coordinates
(Fig 7). From this diagram one can easily determine the pressing conditions in relation to the properties
required for parts pressed from the TslVI2A alloy.
LITERATURE
1,

2.

CITED

N. N. Morgunova, Coll.: TsNIIChM,

Special Steels and Alloys [in Russian], Moscow,
dat (1963), No. 35.
B. A. Klypin, Zavodskaya laboratoriya, No. 5 (1964).

iVIetallurgiz-

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