Experimental Analysis of Annealing Conditions on Hardness Characteristics of SS400 Steel Cane Cutter Blades
Keywords:
SS400 Steel, Hardness, Heat Treatment, SugarcaneAbstract
In the sugarcane processing industry, problems often arise during the milling season, one of which is the cane cutter machine, which functions as a sugarcane shredder consisting of various blades mounted on a holder made of SS400 steel. These blades play a crucial role in the sugarcane cutting process before milling, and their performance is greatly influenced by the mechanical properties of the material used. SS400 steel, which is a low-carbon steel, has relatively low hardness and high ductility. However, damage to the cane cutter blades often occurs. This study aims to analyze the effect of temperature and holding time variations in the annealing process on the hardness value of SS 400 steel used as a cane cutter blade. The annealing process is one of the important processes in improving the mechanical properties of a material such as its hardness and ductility. In this study, the cane cutter blade made of SS400 steel was given annealing heat treatment with different temperatures and holding times. Based on the results of the annealing heat treatment on SS400 steel with temperature variations of 750°C, 775°C, and 800°C, each combined with holding times of 30, 45, and 60 minutes, it was found that for every temperature variation, the longest holding time resulted in the lowest hardness value. The lowest average hardness, 34.24 HRA, was obtained at 800°C with a holding time of 60 minutes. Conversely, the highest average hardness, 39.77 HRA, was achieved at 775°C with a holding time of 30 minutes.
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