Steel wire rod or bar with good cold deformability and machine parts made thereof

Abstract: The present invention provides a steel wire rod or bar which exhibits good cold deformability even though it does not undergo spheroidizing annealing after hot rolling. Disclosed herein in a steel wire rod or bar with good cold deformability which is characterized in that its ferrite structure contains nitride and carbide articles in a mixed state or composite state in a number no less than 25 particles per 25 µm 2 on average in a sectional area corresponding to a concentric circle with three quarters the radius of the rod or bar. Such nitride and carbide precipitates contribute to the reduction of flow stress at temperatures raised by heat generation at the time of cold deforming.

Description: The present invention relates to a steel wire rod or bar (hereafter occasionally abbreviated to Steel) with good cold deformability and also to machine parts made thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to a steel wire rod or bar which can be excellent in cold deformability without heat treatment to soften after hot rolling when it is made into machine parts, such as bolts and nuts, by cold deforming, such as cold forging, cold heading, and cold roll forging. Cold deforming is widely used to efficiently produce bolts and nuts and other machine parts because of its higher productivity and hence higher yields than hot deforming and machining. The steel wire rod or bar used for such cold deforming should essentially be superior, namely low in flow stress and high in workability, in cold deformability. With high flow stress, it will reduce the life of tools for cold deforming; with low workability, it will be liable to cracking during cold deforming, which leads to defective products. It has been common practice to carry out various heat treatments to soften, such as spheroidizing annealing, annealing, prior to cold deforming in order to lower the flow stress and increase the workability. This step makes the steel wire rod or bar soft and workable enough for cold deforming. Unfortunately, since spheroidizing annealing takes a long time (10-20 hours), there has been an earnest demand for the development of a steel wire rod or bar which exhibits good cold deformability without requiring spheroidizing annealing, from the standpoint of productivity improvement, energy saving, and cost reduction. The object of the present invention, which was been completed in view of the foregoing, is to provide a steel wire rod or bar which exhibits good cold deformability in its cold deforming without spheroidizing annealing after hot rolling and also to provide machine parts, such as bolts and nuts, made therefrom. To solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a steel wire rod or bar with good cold deformability containing: C: 0.001-0.5 mass%, Al:0.005-0.1 mass% and N: 0.001-0.015 mass%, and optionally at least on of : Cr: 0.02-1.2 mass%, Ti: 0.01-0.2 mass%, B: 0.0003-0.01 mass%, Nb: 0.005-0.15 mass%, V: 0.01-0.2 mass%, Zr: 0.005-0.1 mass%, Mn: 0.035-2 mass% and Si: 0.005-0.5 mass%, the balance being iron and unavoidable impurities, wherein the steel wire, rod or bar is prepared by the following process steps: a billet heating temperature of 850-1050°C, an average rolling temperature of 725-1000°C with an average cooling rate of 600-6000°C/min down to a reeling temperature of 725-950°C, followed by an average cooling rate after reeling of 3-600°C/min down to 400°C, such that the ferrite structure of the steel wire, rod or bar contains nitride and carbide particles in a mixed state or composite state in a number no less than 25 particles per 25 µm 2 on average in a sectional area corresponding to a concentric circle with three-quarters the radius of the rod or bar. To be more specific, the ferrite structure contains nitride-nucleated carbide particles in a number no less than 25 particles per 25 µm 2 on average. Such nitrides and carbides effectively lower the flow stress encountered in cold deforming at the temperatures (in an approximate range from 100 to 3500C) due to heat generation by working. Machine part made of the steel wire rod or bar is also within the scope of the present invention. In order to provide a steel wire rod or bar which exhibits good cold deformability in its cold-rolled form, the present inventors carefully studied the solute N and solute C which govern the cold deformability, particularly the flow stress. This study led to the following findings. (i) Solute N and solute C can be changed into fixed nitrogen and fixed carbon, if the ferrite-pearlite structure, particularly the ferrite structure, constituting the internal structure of the steel wire rod or bar has fine nitride particles precipitated more than a prescribed number and additionally nitride-nucleated fine carbide particles, such as cementite precipitated more than a prescribed number. This suppresses the dynamic strain aging and hence decreases the flow stress, even though the initial strength is the same. (ii) The resulting structure lowers the flow stress not only in the initial stage of cold deforming but also in the stage in which working has proceeded and the temperature has reached in the range from 100 to 350°C. The present invention is based on this finding. There have been proposed several methods of producing a steel wire rod or bar which exhibits good cold deformability without heat treatment to soften. In these methods, attention is paid to solute C and solute N as in the case of the present invention. They are exemplified below. (1) Japanese Patent Publication No. 35249/1986 (JP-A-60-121220) discloses a method of suppressing work hardening due to strain aging, thereby reducing flow stress, as the result of controlling the rolling and cooling conditions, thereby reducing the content of solute C and solute N. (2) Japanese Patent Laid-open No. JP-A-56-158841/1981 discloses a method of producing a hot-rolled wire rod good for the long die life by employing Ti or B as an element to form nitrides. (3) Another Japanese Patent Laid-open discloses a method of producing a hot-rolled wire rod good for the long die life by controlling the Al/N ratio. These two methods are based on the finding that hardness and work hardening are reduced if solute N is fixed. (4) Japanese Patent Laid-open No. JP-A-5763635/1982 discloses a method of producing a steel wire rod for cold forging which permits an extended tool life, by keeping the steel for 5 hours or more at a temperature between the A c1 transformation point and the A c1 transformation point minus 50°C, thereby solidifying cementite sufficiently and fixing solute N through the controlled Al content. (5) Japanese Patent Laid-open (JP-A-) Nos. 60152624, 62227031 and 04228519 disclose steel compositions having the same components in overlapping ranges with the present invention. However, there is no disclosure in these documents of the processing steps required to obtain the number of nitride and carbide particles required by the present invention. (6) In thin ferrite steel streets suitable to cold rolling without preceding annealing, workability is improved by Al addition to form AlN which accelerates the decomposition of the austenite into alpha phase and carbides after the rolling and soaking (JP-A-57070233 and JP-A-57070232). Furthermore, according to JP-A-7-054041, five precipitation of carbon nitride it attempted by heating to 1000-1150°C, not rolling with finishing at 800-900°C and controlled cooling rate of 1-5°C/sec down to 500°C to improve the cold forgeability. The above-mentioned four methods are designed to fix solute C and solute N which adversely affect the reduction of flow stress. These objects are achieved by controlling the chemical composition of the steel or controlling the rolling and cooling conditions. Nothing is found in the above-mentioned disclosures about the fact that nitride and carbide particles more than a prescribed number which are caused to precipitate in the ferrite particles reduce the content of solute N and solute C very effectively and the fact that they also suppress the flow stress not only in the initial stage of cold deforming but also in the stage in which working has proceeded and the temperature has nearly reached at 100 to 350°C. Incidentally, the disclosures (2) to (4) above mention nothing about the reduction of flow stress in the later stage of working. No one has ever studied the relation between the flow stress and the number of nitride and carbide particles in the ferrite structure. The present inventors are the first to study it. It is in this regard that the technical significance of the present invention resides. Fig: 1 is a graph showing the relation between the temperature and the flow stress. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the method of counting the number of precipitates. Fig. 3 is an electron micrograph showing how precipitates occur in the ferrite structure (in the example). Fig. 4 is an electron micrograph showing how precipitates occur in the ferrite structure (in the comparative example). Fig. 5 is an electron micrograph showing the precipitates in the example. Fig. 6 is an electron micrograph showing the image of the nitrogen composition in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is an electron micrograph showing the image of the carbon composition in Fig. 5. According to the present invention, the steel wire rod or bar is characterized in that its ferrite structure contains nitride and carbide particles in a mixed state or composite state in a number no less than 25 particles per 25 µm 2 on average in a sectional area corresponding to a concentric circle with three quarters the radius of the rod or bar. The nitride and carbide particles more than a prescribed number which precipitate in the ferrite structure fix solute N and solute C which adversely affect the flow stress and hence reduce the flow stress not only in the initial stage or working but also in the later stage of working (at about 100-350°C). The nitride denotes any nitride of one or more of Al, Cr, Ti, B, Nb, V, and Zr which has precipitated by combination with solute N. The carbide includes iron carbide, such as cementite (Fe 3 C), and any carbide of one or more of Cr, Ti, Nb, V, B and Zr by combination with C in the steel. The iron carbide and the carbide may contain Mn, P, S, etc. The steel wire rod or bar of the present invention contains these nitride and carbide particles in a mixed or composite state. For example, the carbide may precipitate by nucleation by the nitride. The state of the precipitate may be understood by reference to Fig. 4 attached hereto. "Nitride and carbide" or "precipitate" which will appear in the following denotes the nitride and carbide which are present in the above-mentioned state. Now, the reason why the number of nitride and carbide particles to precipitate is established as mentioned above is explained with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 graphically shows how the flow stress varies according as the test pieces Nos. 1 and 3 (described in Example given later) are heated to 78°C, 150°C, 220°C, 330°C, 350°C, and 424°C. In Fig. 1, solid circles () represent the test piece (No. 1) which contains 78 particles of nitride and carbide as prescribed in the present invention, and solid diamond (◆) represent the test piece (No. 3) which contains only 21 particles of nitride and carbide, not conforming to the present invention. It is noted from Fig. 1 the specimen No. 3 (which does not meet the requirements of the present invention) increases in flow stress with increasing temperature, reaching the maximum at about 300°C. This is attributable to the remarkable dynamic strain aging due to solute C and solute N. By contrast, the specimen No. 1 (which meets the requirements of the present invention) does not increase in flow stress even at an increased temperature of about 300°C due to working because as many nitride and carbide particles as prescribed are formed in the ferrite so that the dynamic strain aging is suppressed. What follows is a probable reason why the flow stress at about 300°C is suppressed when as many nitride and carbide particles as prescribed are formed in the ferrite structure. In general, an increase in the amount of solute N and solute C in ferrite amplifies work hardening due to strain aging and hence heighten flow stress. In the present invention, this is avoided by causing solute N (which adversely affects flow stress) to combine with Al or any other element (which forms nitrides). The resulting nitride precipitate in the form of fine particles more than prescribed, and these nitride particles function as the nuclei which cause carbide (such as cementite) to precipitate in the form of fine particles more than prescribed. For the nitride and carbide particles to produce the effect of reducing flow stress, it is necessary that the ferrite structure in the steel wire rod or bar contain nitride and carbide particles in a mixed state or composite state in a number no less than 25 particles per 25 µm 2 on average in a sectional area corresponding to a concentric circle with three quarters the radius of the rod or bar. This number is closely related with the average diameter of the nitride and carbide particles. That is, the number of precipitated particles decreases as the cooling rate decreases and hence these precipitated particles increase in average diameter. Strictly speaking, the number of nitride and carbide particles should be established in relation to the average diameter. Usually, if the nitride particles have an average diameter of 1-10 nm and the carbide particles have an average diameter of 10-50 nm, their number on average should be no less than 35/25 µm 2 , preferably no less than 40/25 µm 2 , more preferably no less than 45/25 µm 2 , on the assumption that the nitride and carbide particles are present in a mixed or composite state. If the nitride particles have an average diameter of 10-50 nm and the carbide particles have an average diameter of 50-500 nm, the number of precipitated particles should be no less than 25/25 µm 2 , preferably no less than 30/25 µm 2 , more preferably no less than 35/25 µm 2 , on average. The steel wire rod or bar of the present invention, which has undergone hot rolling, is composed mainly of the structure having the above-mentioned nitride and carbide. To be more specific, the metal structure should preferably be one in which ferrite accounts for no less than 20% (preferably no less than 25%) in terms of area. This requirement is the condition that the above-mentioned precipitates effectively function so as to keep flow stress low for the same ferrite fraction. The most important point of the present invention consists in that the ferrite structure contains as many nitride and carbide particles as prescribed. Therefore, the steel wire rod or bar should be positively incorporated with C, N, and Al, and other minor elements so that the desired nitride and carbide are formed. The following describes the chemical composition of the steel wire rod or bar of the present invention. C : 0.001-0.5 mass% C is an essential element that imparts strength to the steel wire rod or bar. With an amount less than 0.001 mass%, C does not provide the desired strength. In addition, it is industrially and economically disadvantageous to keep the C content at such a low level. The C content should preferably be no less than 0.003 mass%, more preferably no less than 0.005 mass%. Conversely, C in excess of 0.5 mass% lowers the ferrite fraction, which prevents the desired effect. The C content should preferably be no more than 0.48 mass%. Al : 0.005-0.1 mass% Al is useful for deoxidation. It is added to fix solute N, thereby forming nitride (AlN). To achieve this object, it is added in an amount no less than 0.005%. However, Al added in excess of 0.1 mass% will be wasted because its effect levels off. A more preferable amount is no more than 0.08 mass%. N : 0.001-0.015 mass% Usually, N is an unnecessary element in view of the fact that solute N adversely affects the reduction of flow stress. However, in the present invention, N in a certain amount is necessary so that N forms nitrides (such as AlN) which nucleate carbides (such as cementite) to be precipitated. The minimum amount is no less than 0.001 mass%. On the other hand, N in excess of 0.015 mass% makes it necessary to increase the amount of alloy element to be added for the nitride to precipitate as much as prescribed. This leads to a cost increase. A preferable amount is no more than 0.01 mass%. The steel wire rod or bar of the present invention basically contains the above-mentioned components, with the remainder being iron and unavoidable impurities. It may be positively incorporated with the following additional elements. At least one species selected from the group consisting of Cr (no more than 1.2 mass%), Ti (no more than 0.2 mass%), B (no more than 0.01 mass%), Nb (no more than 0.15 mass%), V (no more than 0.2 mass%), and Zr (no more than 0.1 mass%) (each excluding 0 mass%) These elements (Cr, Ti, Nb, V, and Zr) form carbides and/or nitrides, and B forms nitrides like Al. They reduce solute C and solute N which adversely affect the flow stress. For them to function effectively, it is recommended to add Cr (no less than 0.02 mass%), Ti (no less than 0.01 mass%), B (no less than 0.0003 mass%), Nb (no less than 0.005 mass%), V (no less than 0.01 mass%), and Zr (no less than 0.005 mass%). Their effect will level off if they are added in an amount more than specified. Their preferable amount is as follows. Cr : no more than 0.1 mass%, Ti : no more than 0.15 mass%, B : no more than 0.008 mass%, Nb : no more than 0.1 mass%, V : no more than 0.15 mass%, and Zr : no more than 0.08 mass%. These elements may be used alone or in combination with one another. Additional elements that can be incorporated are shown below. Mn : 0.035-2 mass% Mn less than 0.035 mass% is not enough to completely convert S into MnS; this leads to poor workability. An amount more than 0.05 mass% is preferable. On the other hand, Mn in excess of 2 mass% will increase the rolling load and hence decrease the tool life. An amount less than 1.8 mass% is preferable. Si : 0.005-0.5 mass% (excluding 0 mass%) Si as a deoxidizer should be added in an amount no less than 0.005 mass%, preferably no less than 0.008 mass%, so that it produces its effect. Si added in excess of 0.5 mass% will produce no additional effect but merely increase the flow stress. A preferable amount is less than 0.45 mass%. S : no more than 0.02 mass% (excluding 0%) When added in more than 0.02 mass%, S tends to cause cracking during cold deforming. A preferable amount is no more than 0.018 mass%. The steel wire rod or bar of the present invention is produced by the steps of heating a billet at 850-1050°C, rolling it at 725-1000°C until a desired diameter is reached, carrying out cooling with running water at a cooling rate of 600-6000°C/min down to 725-950°C, and continuing cooling at a cooling rate of 3-600°C/min down to 400°C. These steps are necessary as explained below so as to obtain as many nitride and carbide particles as prescribed in the present invention. Billet heating temperature: 850-1050°C This heating temperature is a prerequisite condition that nitrides (such as AlN) partly form a solid solution and precipitate as fine particles after rolling. When heated above 1050°C, precipitated nitrides completely become a solid solution, thereby forming solute N. In this state, nitrides cannot be precipitated no matter what the subsequent control. The heating temperature should preferably be no higher than 1025°C, more preferably no higher than 1000°C. By contrast, at a heating temperature lower than 850°C, nitrides (such as AlN) do not form a solid solution at all and hence they do not nucleate carbides. The heating temperature should preferably be no lower than 870°C, more preferably no lower than 890°C. Average Rolling temperature: 725-1000°C This rolling temperature is a prerequisite condition that nitrides form no solid solution during rolling as in the case of billet heating and dislocation occur in the steel structure. Dislocation permits the solute N to reprecipitate as fine nitride particles in the ferrite, which leads to the precipitation of carbides such as cementite. A practical rolling temperature is 750-1000°C, preferably no lower than 775°C and no higher than 975°C, so that the load of rolling rolls will not increase, the dimensional accuracy will not decrease, and the surface defects will not occur. Reeling temperatures 725-950°C The rolling step is completed by cooling with water at a cooling rate of 600-6000°C/min down to 725-950°C. At a temperature higher than 950°C, nitrides do not readily precipitate and hence solute C and dissolve N do not decrease as desired. A practical reeling temperature should preferably be no higher than 900°C. Conversely, at a temperature lower than 725°C, martensite occurs in the surface layer, resulting in a hard, brittle steel which is not suitable for cold deforming. A practical reeling temperature should preferably be no lower than 750°C. Average Cooling rate: 3-600°C/min (down to 400°C) For solute C and solute N to precipitate as carbides and nitrides, it is desirable to keep the cooling rate low. An excessively slow cooling rate causes the lamellar space in pearlite (the lamellar structure of ferrite and cementite) to expand, with the resulting structure being poor in workability. A practical cooling rate should preferably be no lower than 6°C/min and no higher than 500°C/min. After hot rolling as specified above, the steel wire rod or bar of the present invention has good cold deformability; however, for improved cold deformability, it may undergo additional steps such as descaling with acid (e.g., hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid) or mechanical straining and subsequent coating with zinc phosphate, calcium phosphate, lime, zinc stearate and sodium stearate, etc. as a lubricant. The invention will be described in more detail with reference to the following examples. It is to be understood that the examples are not to be construed to limit the scope of the invention. EXAMPLES Various kinds of steels having the composition (mass%) as shown in Table 1 were prepared. They were rolled into wire rod(12 mm in diameter) under the conditions shown in Table 2. The resulting wire samples were tested for the following items. • Average number of nitride and carbide particles precipitating in the wire rod. The number of precipitated particles in the ferrite structure was counted at three points in its sectional area corresponding to a concentric circle with three-fourths the radius thereof as shown in Fig. 2. These five points were selected to avoid the effect of decarburization due to hot rolling. Counting was carried out by photographing the precipitates using a scanning electron microscope (SEM, ×8000) and processing the electron micrograph by image analysis (FRM tool kit). An average of five measurements was calculated. The specimen No. 1 (pertaining to the present invention) and the specimen No. 3 (for comparison) , which are specified in Table 2, gave the electron micrographs (Figs. 3 and 4) which show the precipitates in the ferrite structure. • Composition of precipitates To see if the precipitates are AlN-nucleated cementite, the specimen was examined by a transmission electron microscope (FE-TEM, × 1,000,000) and analyzed by EELS (energy loss spectroscopy). The results were visualized by the aid of GIF (imaging filter made by GATAN Co., Ltd.), and the composition was analyzed. The specimen No. 2 (pertaining to the present invention), which is specified in Table 2, gave the electron micrographs (Figs. 5 to 7) which show the results of the analysis of the precipitates. Fig. 5 is an electron micrograph which indicates that the precipitate is AlN-nucleated cementite; Fig. 6 is an electron micrograph showing the nitrogen composition; and Fig. 7 is an electron micrograph showing the carbon composition. • Measurement of flow stress Flow stress is an index of cold deformability. It was measured by upsetting with a press in the following manner. A cylindrical specimen for upsetting was prepared from the wire by cutting to a size 15 long and 10 mm in diameter (upset ratio: 15/10 = 1.5) according to the recommendation by the Japan Plastic Working Institute (see "Tanzou, Soseikakou Gijutu Shiriizu 4", p. 55, issued by Corona Co., Ltd.) The upsetting cylindrical test consists of compressing the specimen by 60%, and the maximum load required for compression is measured. The flow stress is calculated from the load as follows. Flow stress (kgf/mm 2 ) = load (kgf)/A/f where A : sectional area of specimen (mm 2 ) f : stress modification factor Compression(%) = H 0 /H where H 0 : Height before compression, H : Height after compression In the above formula, A is 78.5 mm 2 for a diameter of 10 mm, and f is 2.77 for 60% compression. Incidentally, the flow stress was measured at normal temperature (25°C) as well as at elevated temperatures (78°C, 150°C, 220°C, 320°C, 350°C, and 424°C) in anticipation of a temperature rise (up to several hundreds of degrees) due to multistage cold deforming at a strain rate of 10 0 -10 1 /sec in actual operation. To investigate the effect of dynamic strain aging on flow stress, an increase (kgf/mm 2 ) in flow stress due to dynamic strain aging was calculated according to the following formula. Increase in flow stress = [Flow stress (σ320) at 320°C] - [Flow stress (σ25) at normal temperature (25°C)] The results of measurements and calculations are shown in Table 2. It is noted from Table 2 that Nos. 1, 2, 5, and 7 to 22, in which as many nitride and carbide particles as prescribed were formed in the ferrite structure according to the present invention, kept low the increase in flow stress due to dynamic strain aging. Incidentally, it was confirmed from Fig. 5 that the nitride which had precipitated in the ferrite structure was composed of AlN. By contrast, Nos. 3, 4, and 6, which do not meet the requirements of the present invention, did not form nitrides and carbides as prescribed. They increased in flow stress. The present invention as mentioned above efficiently provides a steel wire rod or bar which exhibits good cold deformability even though it does not undergo spheroidizing annealing after hot rolling. The present invention is of great use in that the steel wire rod or bar has a low flow stress at the temperatures (about 100-350°C) raised by heat generation at the time of cold deforming.

Claims: A steel wire rod or bar with good cold deformability containing: C: 0.001-0.5 mass%, Al:0.005-0.1 mass% and N: 0.001-0.015 mass%, and optionally at least one of Cr: 0.02-1.2 mass%, Ti: 0.01-0.2 mass%, B: 0.0003-0.01 mass%, Nb: 0.005-0.15 mass%, V: 0.01-0.2 mass%, Zr: 0.005-0.1 mass%, Mn: 0.035-2 mass% and Si: 0.005-0.5 mass%, the balance being iron and unavoidable impurities, wherein the steel wire rod or bar is prepared by the following process steps: a billet heating temperature of 850-1050°C, rolling to steel wire rod or bar with an average rolling temperature of 725-1000°C, cooling with an average cooling rate of 600-6000°C/min down to a reeling temperature of 725-950°C, followed by an average cooling rate after reeling of 3-600°C/min down to 400°C, such that the ferrite structure of the steel wire, rod or bar contains nitride and carbide particles in a mixed state or composite state in a number no less than 25 particles per 25 µm 2 on average in a sectional area corresponding to a concentric circle with three-quarters the radius of the rod or bar. A steel wire rod or bar as claimed in Claim 1 wherein its ferrite structure contains nitride-nucleated carbide particles. A steel wire rod or bar as claimed in Claim 1 or 2 which further contains: S: no more than 0.02 mass% (excluding 0 mass%). Machine parts made from the steel wire rod or bar as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 3.

Inventors: HASEGAWA TOYOFUMI, HATA HIDEO, MOMOZAKI KAN, HASEGAWA, TOYOFUMI, HATA, HIDEO, MOMOZAKI, KAN, Hasegawa, Toyofumi, c/o Kobe Works, Hata, Hideo, c/o Kobe Corporate Research Laborat., MOMOZAKI, KAN, C/O KOBE WORKS
Applicants: KOBE STEEL LTD, KABUSHIKI KAISHA KOBE SEIKO SHO ALSO KNOWN AS KOBE STEEL LTD.
Application year: 1999
Main classification: C21D8
IPC codes: C22C38, C21D8