EFFECTS OF POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL ON THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF MEDIUM CARBON LOW ALLOY STEEL.

The effect of polyethylene glycol [H(OCH2CH2)nOH] as quenchant was studied with a view to accessing the mechanical properties and microstructural evaluation of steel. The test samples were subjected to a conventional quenching treatment process using prepared polymer solution with a definite proportion as quenching medium. The samples were characterized using a microhardness tester, universal tensile tester for the mechanical properties and a metallurgical microscope used in analyzing its structural re-orientation. From the result, it was observed that the hardness increment of the quenched samples conform to literature review as there was also a rise in the tensile properties. This though, was at the expense of their ductility. The micrographs were found to have justified the reason for the increment recorded in some of the mechanical properties, as it displayed a high proportion of the martensitic phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]