Mechanical Characterization of Ship Building Grade A Steel by Rapid Cooling in Different Liquid Media

Abstract

Steel is an essential component used to build marine vessels due to its endurance of the sea’s harsh conditions, including corrosion and dynamic stresses, therefore, different grades of mild steel are used in shipbuilding. It provides the strength, ductility, and weldability necessary for structural integrity, consisting of carbon, manganese, etc., as alloying elements. In this research, different quenching media were employed to assess variations in mechanical properties. This process ultimately triggered alterations in the microstructure of the steel. Two types of media, such as vegetable oil (Canola) and Polyvinylpyrrolidone polymer (PVP), were studied in comparison with simple heat-treated steel. Mechanical characterization comprised of tensile testing, hardness and impact testing to evaluate major changes in strength and ductility. Furthermore, a microscope was used to interpret the microstructure. To guarantee consistency in testing, samples were prepared in accordance with ASTM guidelines. The yield strength of as-received steel was increased from 298 MPa to 358 MPa and 370 MPa because of rapid cooling action in PVP and oil, respectively. A significant increase in Ultimate tensile strength was achieved due to the variety of quenching media; however, ductility was seriously compromised because of the excessive hardness of the material. Impact energy analysis revealed a notable reduction, which is linked with degradation in toughness.

Keywords

Mechanical testing / Microstructural analysis / Annealed / Shipbuilding / Quenching

Statement of the Use of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies in the Writing Process

During the preparation of this manuscript, the author(s) used Chatgpt in order to polish and rephrasing the writing content, however, the research results are 100% original. After using this tool/service, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content as needed and take(s) full responsibility for the content of the published article.

Acknowledgments

We would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the technical staff of Material testing department, NEDUET Karachi for their support in heat treatment and characterization.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, A.S. and M.H.A.; Methodology, A.S. and M.L.; Software, M.W.; Validation, A.S., M.H.A. and M.U. and M.W.; Formal Analysis, A.S. and M.L.; Investigation, A.S. and M.H.A.; Resources, M.L.; Data Curation, M.U.; Writing Original Draft Preparation, A.S. and M.H.A.; Writing—Review & Editing, M.L. and M.U.; Visualization, M.H.A.; Supervision, M.U.; Project Administration, M.U.

Ethics Statement

Not applicable.

Informed Consent Statement

Not applicable.

Data Availability Statement

The data presented in this study are available on request to the corresponding author.

Funding

This research received no external funding.

Declaration of Competing Interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

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