Title: Investigation on metallurgy and material strength enhancement of 20MnCr5 forged link chain in cement mill

Authors: Krishnakumar Krishnasamy; Arockia Selvakumar Arockia Doss

Addresses: School of Mechanical and Building Sciences, VIT, Chennai-600127, India ' School of Mechanical and Building Sciences, VIT, Chennai-600127, India

Abstract: A study on failure analysis of forged link chains used in a cement plant for scraper application is presented. The forged steel linkages are generally subjected to cyclic loading in abrasive environments. Fractured components were fabricated by forged 20MnCr5 structural steel and case hardened. The fractured samples were initially subjected to visual and stereo-binocular observations. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to examine fractured surface. It was observed that the major cause of the chain failure was due to wear and the reduction of case depth at the outer surface was worn out in abrasive environment. The novel idea in the proposed work is the selection of material and choosing the proper heat treatment process to improve the tensile strength of the forged link. By analytical approach, EN30B steel is proposed through hardening process. In the experimental tensile test validation, 16% of average tensile strength is enhanced in the proposed EN30B steel compared to existing 20MnCr5 steel.

Keywords: drag conveyor chain; failure analysis; fatigue; dimpled fracture; 20MnCr5.

DOI: 10.1504/WRSTSD.2021.114676

World Review of Science, Technology and Sustainable Development, 2021 Vol.17 No.2/3, pp.197 - 210

Received: 29 Oct 2019
Accepted: 15 Apr 2020
Published online: 30 Apr 2021 *

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