Influence of notch orientation and temperature on the impact behavior of a dual hardness steel composite

The need for materials with good characteristics for critical applications, such as in defense and aerospace, has led to the development of new metallic materials. In the present work the impact fracture behavior of a dual hardness steel composite was studied in two geometries, “crack arrester” and “crack divider”. The composite was produced by forging and rolling followed by treatments of quenching and tempering and then annealing. The composite was characterized by optical microscopy as well as hardness, microhardness, tensile and impact tests. The failure mechanisms in impact at different temperatures were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the mechanical behavior was significantly affected by the heat treating processes, with higher impact resistance associated with the crack arrester orientation. These results are analyzed in terms of the state of stress at the crack tip.