4340/36CrNiMo4/1.6511/SNCM439/EN24/817M40 Alloy Steel

4340 steel can be used for the requirements of good toughness, high strength, as well as large size of important quenched parts, such as heavy machinery high load shaft, 4340 steel can also be used for operating temperature of more than 400 ℃ rotor shaft and blade, etc.; can also be nitriding treatment, used to manufacture special performance requirements of important parts, after low-temperature tempering or isothermal quenching can be used for ultra-high strength steel.

Chemical Composition

Application

AISI 4340 is often used in preference to AISI 4140 at the higher strength levels because of its better hardenability and improved CVN impact toughness.

Typical applications include:Heavy-duty axles, shafts, heavy-duty gears,spindles, pins, studs, collets, bolts, couplings,sprockets, pinions, torsion bars, connecting rods,crow bars, conveyor parts,forged hydraulic,forged steel crankshafts etc.

Mechanical Property

Heat Treatment Conditions

Normalizing

Normalizing is used to refine the structure of forgings that might have cooled non-uniformly after forged,and considered as a conditioning treatment before final heat treatment.Normalizing temperature for AISI 4340 steel should be carried out between 850℃-880℃. hold suitable time for the steel to be thoroughly heated to complete the ferrite to austenite transformation.Cool in still air.

Annealing

Full annealing is recommended  for AISI 4340 before machining, AISI 4340 should be carried our at a nominal temperature of 830℃-850℃,hold suitable time for the steel to be thoroughly heated, then furnace cooling to 610℃ at a rate of 11℃ per hour, finally air cooling.

Hardening

This heat treatment will obtain martensite structure after quenched.It will  increase the surface hardness and strength.AISI 4340 should be carried out between 830℃-865℃, hold suitable time for the steel to be thoroughly heated, soak for 10-15 minutes per 25 mm section, oil quench is recommended.Tempering should be followed  immediately after quenched.

Tempering

AISI 4340 alloy steel should be in the heat treated or normalized and heat treated condition before tempering.Tempering is usually carried out to relieve stresses from the hardening process, but primarily to obtain the required  hardness and mechanical properties. The actual tempering temperature will be chosen to meet the required properties.it is usually carried out at 450℃- 660℃,hold until temperature is uniform throughout the section, soak for 1 hour per 25 mm of section, and cool in still air.Tempering between 250℃-450℃ is not avoided as tempering within this range will seriously reduce the impact value,result in temper brittleness.