A plain steel with a carbon content of 06 wt has the pearlit

A plain steel with a carbon content of 0.6 wt% has the pearlite structure. If the surface of this steel turn to martensite structure after heat treatment (heat to become austenite and then quench quickly). What hardness is expected before and after hardening?

Solution

Cementite is much harder but more brittle than ferrite .increasing the carbon concentration increases the fraction of Fe3C in a steel alloy and will result of harder and stronger materials