Comprehensive Analysis on the Effect of Deep Cryogenic Treatment on The Mechanical Behaviour of Martensitic Valve steel

The behaviour of the cryogenically treated En52 martensitic valve steel has been experimentally analyzed in this paper. Material samples are subjected to deep cryogenic treatment after completing the regular heat treatment. The critical properties of the valve steel like wear resistance, hardness, tensile strength and impact strength are evaluated for the cryo treated En52 valve steel samples as per the ASTM standards. The microstructural changes and the mechanism behind the enhancement of the properties are examined and reported. The precipitation of fine carbides, transformation of retained austenite and refinement of carbides were the reasons behind the improvement of the mechanical properties. Deep cryogenic treatment process parameters are optimized for better wear resistance, hardness and tensile strength using grey Taguchi technique. Deep cryogenic treatment process greatly influences the wear resistance, a maximum enhancement of 54% is observed.