Abstract

Copperizing is the addition of copper using a hot-dip technique. The addition of copper is done because it can increase the hardness of low carbon steel, by reducing the grain size. This study aims to determine the effect of immersion and cooling time on the microstructure and hardness properties of copperized AISI 1006 and its strengthening mechanism. Variations in the immersion time used were 10 minutes, 20 minutes and 30 minutes as well as normal and fast cooling (quench). Tests carried out in this research were spectrometric tests to analyze elements, x-ray diffraction tests to observe the phase transformations formed, metallographic tests to observe changes in microstructure, EDX SEM tests to observe topology and distribution of copper atoms, and microhardness tests to analyze hardness. phase obtained from the test sample. The results showed that there had been changes in the microstructure and hardness properties. The microstructure obtained on normal cooling and immersion time of 10 minutes; 20 minutes; and 30 minutes is ferrite, ferrite, and pro-eutectoid ferrite. While the microstructure obtained on quench cooling and immersion time of 10 minutes; 20 minutes; and 30 minutes is ferrite, martensite and bainite. The maximum hardness value obtained by quench cooling and immersion time of 20 minutes is 309.97 HV due to the formation of a martensite microstructure. The strengthening mechanism that occurs in AISI 1006 with the copperizing method is the reduction of ferrite grains for immersion times of 10 minutes normal cooling and quenching, and 20 minutes normal cooling. While the other test samples experienced changes in microstructure

Keywords

AISI 1006, Copperizing, hardness, microstructure, copper