Evaluation of thermal processing and properties of 422 martensitic stainless steel for replacement of 4140 steel in diesel engine pistons

D. T. Pierce; G. Muralidharan; A. Trofimov; J. Torres; H. Wang; J. A. Haynes; K. Sebeck; E. Gingrich; G. Byrd; M. Tess

doi:10.1016/j.matdes.2021.110373

Evaluation of thermal processing and properties of 422 martensitic stainless steel for replacement of 4140 steel in diesel engine pistons

D. T. Pierce, G. Muralidharan, A. Trofimov, J. Torres, H. Wang, J. A. Haynes, K. Sebeck, E. Gingrich, G. Byrd, M. Tess

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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Abstract

The thermal and mechanical properties of martensitic stainless steel 422 were evaluated for suitability as a drop-in replacement for 4140 steel in next generation heavy-duty diesel engine (HDDE) pistons. The time and temperature of the austenitization and tempering steps were studied to achieve optimum materials performance in piston applications, including the balance of thermal and mechanical properties and resistance to long-term thermal aging. Reducing the tempering temperature from 700 to 600 °C caused a substantial increase in elevated temperature strength from 25 to 600 °C, but had no significant influence on thermal conductivity, suggesting that thermal conductivity in 422 is dominated largely by composition and distribution of alloying elements and mostly independent of the sub-grain structure size and precipitate size. Compared to the current HDDE piston alloy 4140, 422 exhibits substantially higher elevated temperature strength and lower thermal conductivity, the latter which will cause 422 to operate at higher temperatures in pistons, possibly requiring a piston redesign to take advantage of the improved high temperature strength of 422. Piston material selection and alloy design strategies with potential to mitigate some of the shortcomings of martensitic stainless steels, such as 422, as drop-in replacements are discussed.

Original language	English
Article number	110373
Journal	Materials and Design
Volume	214
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2021.110373
State	Published - Feb 2022

Funding

The authors would like to acknowledge Raphael Hermann for assitance in analysis of resonant ultrasound spectroscopy measurments, Victoria Cox and Colton O'Dell for metallography, Kelsey Hedrick for mechanical testing, George Garner of oxidation testing, Ian Stinson for heat treatments and machining, Tracie Lowe for scanning electron microscopy, and Stephanie Curlin for thermal properties measurement. Research was in part sponsored by the Powertrain Materials Core Program, under the Propulsion Materials Program (managed by Jerry Gibbs), Vehicle Technologies Office, US Department of Energy (DOE). The information, data, or work presented herein was conducted in part as an Advanced Vehicle Power Technology Alliance (AVPTA) “Extended Enterprise” project funded by the U.S. Army Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC), U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), Department of the Army. AVPTA is Chartered under the auspices of the Department of Energy / DoD Memorandum of Understanding titled “Concerning Cooperation in a Strategic Partnership to Enhance Energy Security" DoD-DoE AVPTA. Development and use of software for ultrasound analysis was funded by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, managed by UT-Battelle, LLC, for the U. S. Department of Energy. The raw/processed data required to reproduce these findings cannot be shared at this time due to technical or time limitations. This manuscript has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC, under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the US Department of Energy (DOE). The US government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the US government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for US government purposes. DOE will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan ( http://energy.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan ). The authors would like to acknowledge Raphael Hermann for assitance in analysis of resonant ultrasound spectroscopy measurments, Victoria Cox and Colton O’Dell for metallography, Kelsey Hedrick for mechanical testing, George Garner of oxidation testing, Ian Stinson for heat treatments and machining, Tracie Lowe for scanning electron microscopy, and Stephanie Curlin for thermal properties measurement. Research was in part sponsored by the Powertrain Materials Core Program, under the Propulsion Materials Program (managed by Jerry Gibbs), Vehicle Technologies Office, US Department of Energy (DOE). The information, data, or work presented herein was conducted in part as an Advanced Vehicle Power Technology Alliance (AVPTA) “Extended Enterprise” project funded by the U.S. Army Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC), U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), Department of the Army. AVPTA is Chartered under the auspices of the Department of Energy / DoD Memorandum of Understanding titled “Concerning Cooperation in a Strategic Partnership to Enhance Energy Security" DoD-DoE AVPTA. Development and use of software for ultrasound analysis was funded by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, managed by UT-Battelle, LLC, for the U. S. Department of Energy.

Keywords

Internal Combustion Engines
Martensitic Stainless Steel
Phase Equilibria
Pistons
Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy
Thermal Conductivity

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10.1016/j.matdes.2021.110373

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title = "Evaluation of thermal processing and properties of 422 martensitic stainless steel for replacement of 4140 steel in diesel engine pistons",

abstract = "The thermal and mechanical properties of martensitic stainless steel 422 were evaluated for suitability as a drop-in replacement for 4140 steel in next generation heavy-duty diesel engine (HDDE) pistons. The time and temperature of the austenitization and tempering steps were studied to achieve optimum materials performance in piston applications, including the balance of thermal and mechanical properties and resistance to long-term thermal aging. Reducing the tempering temperature from 700 to 600 °C caused a substantial increase in elevated temperature strength from 25 to 600 °C, but had no significant influence on thermal conductivity, suggesting that thermal conductivity in 422 is dominated largely by composition and distribution of alloying elements and mostly independent of the sub-grain structure size and precipitate size. Compared to the current HDDE piston alloy 4140, 422 exhibits substantially higher elevated temperature strength and lower thermal conductivity, the latter which will cause 422 to operate at higher temperatures in pistons, possibly requiring a piston redesign to take advantage of the improved high temperature strength of 422. Piston material selection and alloy design strategies with potential to mitigate some of the shortcomings of martensitic stainless steels, such as 422, as drop-in replacements are discussed.",

keywords = "Internal Combustion Engines, Martensitic Stainless Steel, Phase Equilibria, Pistons, Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy, Thermal Conductivity",

author = "Pierce, {D. T.} and G. Muralidharan and A. Trofimov and J. Torres and H. Wang and Haynes, {J. A.} and K. Sebeck and E. Gingrich and G. Byrd and M. Tess",

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AU - Pierce, D. T.

AU - Muralidharan, G.

AU - Trofimov, A.

AU - Torres, J.

AU - Wang, H.

AU - Haynes, J. A.

AU - Sebeck, K.

AU - Gingrich, E.

AU - Byrd, G.

AU - Tess, M.

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N2 - The thermal and mechanical properties of martensitic stainless steel 422 were evaluated for suitability as a drop-in replacement for 4140 steel in next generation heavy-duty diesel engine (HDDE) pistons. The time and temperature of the austenitization and tempering steps were studied to achieve optimum materials performance in piston applications, including the balance of thermal and mechanical properties and resistance to long-term thermal aging. Reducing the tempering temperature from 700 to 600 °C caused a substantial increase in elevated temperature strength from 25 to 600 °C, but had no significant influence on thermal conductivity, suggesting that thermal conductivity in 422 is dominated largely by composition and distribution of alloying elements and mostly independent of the sub-grain structure size and precipitate size. Compared to the current HDDE piston alloy 4140, 422 exhibits substantially higher elevated temperature strength and lower thermal conductivity, the latter which will cause 422 to operate at higher temperatures in pistons, possibly requiring a piston redesign to take advantage of the improved high temperature strength of 422. Piston material selection and alloy design strategies with potential to mitigate some of the shortcomings of martensitic stainless steels, such as 422, as drop-in replacements are discussed.

AB - The thermal and mechanical properties of martensitic stainless steel 422 were evaluated for suitability as a drop-in replacement for 4140 steel in next generation heavy-duty diesel engine (HDDE) pistons. The time and temperature of the austenitization and tempering steps were studied to achieve optimum materials performance in piston applications, including the balance of thermal and mechanical properties and resistance to long-term thermal aging. Reducing the tempering temperature from 700 to 600 °C caused a substantial increase in elevated temperature strength from 25 to 600 °C, but had no significant influence on thermal conductivity, suggesting that thermal conductivity in 422 is dominated largely by composition and distribution of alloying elements and mostly independent of the sub-grain structure size and precipitate size. Compared to the current HDDE piston alloy 4140, 422 exhibits substantially higher elevated temperature strength and lower thermal conductivity, the latter which will cause 422 to operate at higher temperatures in pistons, possibly requiring a piston redesign to take advantage of the improved high temperature strength of 422. Piston material selection and alloy design strategies with potential to mitigate some of the shortcomings of martensitic stainless steels, such as 422, as drop-in replacements are discussed.

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KW - Phase Equilibria

KW - Pistons

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KW - Thermal Conductivity

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Evaluation of thermal processing and properties of 422 martensitic stainless steel for replacement of 4140 steel in diesel engine pistons

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