Hardenableboronsteel

HardenableboronsteelgradesB13S,B24andB27areintendedtobehardenedthroughheattreatment.Themechanical
properties of hardened boron steel make it extremely resistant to abrasive wear and particularly useful in highstrength
structuralapplications,extendingthelifespanofstructuresandsavingcostsrelatedtoabrasionandtheenvironment.
Delivered in hotrolled condition as cut lengths and heavy plates.Prefabrication services available for boron steels are
shapecutting,bending,bevellingforwelding.
Applications:
Liningsandwearpartsformachinesandequipment
Edgeplates
Bladesandchains
Tools
Screwconveyors
Wearplates
Fanblades

Theinformationonourwebsiteisaccuratetothebestofourknowledgeandunderstanding.Althougheveryefforthasbeenmadetoensure
accuracy,thecompanycannotacceptanyresponsibilityforanydirectorindirectdamagesresultingfrompossibleerrorsorincorrect
applicationoftheinformationofthispublication.Wereservetherighttomakechanges.
Copyright2014RautaruukkiCorporation.Allrightsreserved.

Documentprintedon22.07.2014

www.ruukki.com

Hardenableboronsteel

Dimensions
Productshapes
Cutlengths.Deliveredinasrolledconditionorpickledcondition.Additionally,coilsandslitstripsbyseparateagreement.
Heavyplates.Deliveredinasrolledconditionorshopprimedcondition.

Cutlengthswithmilledges
Steelgrade

Thicknessmm

Widthmm

Lengthm

B13S,B24,B27

2.513

10001860

212

Maximumwidthofeachsteelgradedependsonthethickness.

Heavyplates
Steelgrade

Thicknessmm

Widthmm

Lengthm

B13S

514

19013300

215

B24

860

19013300

215

B27

680

19013300

215

Maximumandminimumwidthaswellasmaximumlengthofeachsteelgradedependontheplatethickness.

More detailed information on dimensions is provided in the Coil Products Production Programme and Plate Products
ProductionProgramme.CoilProductsProductionProgrammePlateProductsProductionProgramme

Tolerances
Dimensionalandshapetolerances:
Cutlengths:EN10051
Heavyplates:EN10029,ClassA

Surfacequality
Plateproducts:EN101632ClassA3.Repairweldingisnotusedinthemanufactureofboronsteels.
Cutlengthsaredeliveredinasrolledconditionorpickledandoiledcondition.
Platesaredeliveredinasrolledorshopprimedcondition.

Properties
Thenumbers13,24and27inthedesignationrefertotheaveragecarboncontentsinonehundredthofapercentin
these grades. Excellent heat treatment properties make boron steel an environmentally friendly structural material for a
numberofapplications.

Materialstesting

Themechanicalpropertiesofboronsteelsarenottested.

Hardenableboronsteel

Typicalmechanicalproperties

Steelgrade

Yieldstrength
ReHMPa

Tensilestrength
RmMPa

Elongation
A 5%

HardnessHBW

B13S

approx.450

approx.570

25

approx.160

B24

approx.400

approx.600

25

approx.160

B27

approx.420

approx.620

22

approx.170

Chemicalcompositionandmicrostructure

Thetypicalmicrostructureinthehotrolledconditionisferriticperlitic.Boron(onaverage0.002%)andcarbonarethealloy
materialsmainlycontributingtothegoodhardenabilityandheattreatmentpropertiesofboronsteels.

Typicalchemicalcomposition.Content%(castanalysis)

Steelgrade

Si

Mn

Cr

Mo

B13S1)

0.13

0.25

0.80

0.9

0.25

0.002

B24

0.24

0.25

1.20

0.3

0.002

B27

0.27

0.25

1.20

0.3

0.002

Aluminium(Al)and/ortitanium(Ti)areusedasmicroalloyingelementsforthebindingofnitrogen(N).
1)ForcutlengthC=0.14Si=0.20Mn=1.10Cr=0.8andB=0.002.

Carbonequivalent(CEV),typicalvaluesforeachthicknessrangeandproductform

CEV=C+Mn/6+(Cr+Mo+V)/5+(Ni+Cu)/15
Steelgrade

Thicknessmm

CEV

Product

B13S

2.513

0.51

Cutlength

B24

2.513

0.51

Cutlength

B24

860

0.51

Plate

B27

2.513

0.54

Cutlength

B27

680

0.54

Plate

Inordertooptimisetheweldingprocedure,thecastspecificcarbonequivalentvaluesareindicatedintheinspectiondocument.

Prefabricationservices
Wideflatsfromplateandstrip
Wideflatsfromplateandstriparedimensionallyaccurateandreadyforassembly.Wideflatsspeedupthemanufactureof
steelstructuresandavoidwastingofmaterial.

Flatcutshapes
Flat cut shapes will decrease the throughput time of installation. The customer will receive the components ready for
installation. So, unnecessary material and storing costs can be avoided. If ordered, the products are delivered as shop
primed,bevelledandbent.

Hardenableboronsteel

Bevelling
Precision cut lengths and precision cut plates with a bevelled edge are components that can be delivered directly to the
installation site, which saves time and reduces transport and storage costs. The dimensionally accurate groove ensures
uninterruptedautomatedweldingandfitting.

Bentplateproducts
Bent plate products are components that are ready to be delivered to the installation site, which is beneficial in terms of
schedule as well as transport and storing costs. If needed, the products can be ordered as shopprimed, furnished with
weldingbevels,andcuttoshape.Premarkedmatchmarksfacilitateinstallation.

Processinginstructions
Welding
Boron steels can be welded in the hotrolled or hardened condition. When choosing the welding consumables, the most
importantfactoriswhetherthesteelistobeweldedbeforeorafterhardening.Inallcases,theuseoflowhydrogen,basic
fillermaterialsisrecommended,inordertoensurethatthelevelofdetrimentalhydrogenremainslow.Thesurfacesofthe
weldgroovemustbedryandclean.Inaddition,therecommendationsofthemanufacturermustbeadheredtoregarding
thestorage,useandpossibleredryingoftheconsumables.
Weldingbeforehardening
The normal instructions for the welding of highstrength steels also apply in the welding of boron steels in the hotrolled
condition.Thebestresultisobtainedusinglowhydrogenweldingconsumablesandmethods.Thebestresultisobtained
whentheweldmetalhydrogencontentHDisamaximumof5ml/100g(ENISO3690).
Carbonequivalent(CEV),typicalvaluesforeachthicknessrangeandproductform
CEV=C+Mn/6+(Cr+Mo+V)/5+(Ni+Cu)/15
Steelgrade

Thicknessmm

CEV

Product

B13S

2.513

0.51

Cutlength

B24

2.513

0.51

Cutlength

B24

860

0.51

Plate

B27

2.513

0.54

Cutlength

B27

680

0.54

Plate

Hardenableboronsteel

RecommendedworkingtemperaturesforweldingofhotrolledboronsteelsC(EN10112)

The advantages of common lowalloy welding consumables compared to the highalloyed and highstrength welding
consumablesaretheir lowerhardenability, reducedneedforpreheating andlowerprice. When hardened, theweldmetal
produced using normal filler materials is almost as hard as if using highstrength filler materials, but the depth of the
hardeningsmaller.Highalloyedconsumablesmustbeusedwhenadeephardenableweldmetalisrequired,orwhenwear
resistanceisrequiredfromthefillermaterialintheweldedcondition.Theuseofhighalloyedconsumablescanusuallybe
limitedtothesurfacelayers.Thewearofsoftfillermaterialsmaybereducedbythelocationoftheweld.
Weldingafterhardening
The welding instructions given for Raex abrasion resistant steels in the Raex datasheet can be used in the welding of
hardenedboronsteels.Raex400canbeusedforhardenedB13SandhardenedB24andRaex500forhardenedB27.
Whenweldingboronsteelsinthehardenedcondition,anarrowbandofmaterialsofterthanthebasematerialiscreatedin
theheataffectedzone.Thewidthandhardnessofthisbanddependsontheweldingenergyandthethicknessoftheplate.
Thesofterbandinweldsmadeusingmediumenergylevelsdoesnotusuallyaffectthedurabilityoftheweld.Lowhydrogen,
basicconsumablesmustbeusedinordertoensurethatthelevelofdetrimentalhydrogenremainslow.Structureswelded
afterhardeningarenotusuallysubjectedtofurtherheattreatmentasthismayweakentheabrasionresistanceofhardened
steelcomponents.
Downloadinformationaboutweldinghotrolledsteels

Heattreatment,hardeningandtempering
Thanks to their specific alloying, boron steels have a variety of metallurgical properties that can be utilised in hardening.
Hardeningisaheattreatmentprocessthatconsistsofheating,holdingandrapidcooling.Thesteelisheatedinorderto
changetheferriticperliticmicrostructuretofullyaustenitic.Holdingtimeshouldbeappropriateforsteelthicknesstoobtain
homogenous temperature. Austenitization temperature for these steels is close to 910 930C. Rapid cooling from
austenitizationtemperatureintoroomtemperatureiscalledquenching.Thepurposeofquenchingistoobtainamartensitic
microstructure.Hardenedboronsteelisahard,strongandwearresistantstructuralmaterial.
In certain applications, hardened steel as such is only an intermediate product. The manufacture of such applications
includes further tempering. Hardening and tempering can also be jointly called quenching+tempering. The purpose of
tempering is to turn the martensitic microstructure into tempered martensite with good toughness properties. Tempering

Hardenableboronsteel

resultsinslightlyloweredstrengthandhardnessvalues.Thedegreeofsofteningdependsonthetemperingtemperature,
which is the most important parameter affecting the mechanical properties of hardened boron steel. The quenched and
temperedboronsteelhasafavourablecombinationofstrength,hardnessandtoughness.Thehardnesstemperingcurveis
anessential tool inthe metallurgical utilisation of boronsteels.A further advantage of tempering results inreleasing heat
andstructuralstressesthatappearedduringquenching.
As indicated in the figure below, tempering at a temperature of 480 600C clearly improves impact strength and
elongation,whereastensilestrength,yieldstrengthandhardnessarelowerthanthoseofonlyquenchedboronsteel.
TypicalhardnesstemperingcurvesforthehardenedboronsteelB13S,B24andB27grades(austenitization
temperature920C)

Typicalmechanicalpropertiesofboronsteelswhenquenchedinoilorwater
Steel
grade

Heattreatment
condition

Yield
strength
ReN/mm2

Tensile
strength
RmN/mm2

Elongation Hardness Impactstrength

A%
HBW
KV
tCKV
J

B13S

Hardened,

Oil

750

950

14

300

notempering

Water 900

1200

10

370

40

50

B24

Hardened,

Oil

1250

10

340

notempering

Water 1100

1500

430

40

20

B27

Hardened,

Oil

1000

1250

380

notempering

Water 1200

1600

460

40

20

850

Thevaluesgiveninthetableareaveragesatroomtemperature.Austenizationtemperatureused920C.

Note:Hardeningresultspresentedinthetableaboveandonthiswebpageonlygivegeneralinstructionsforthehardening
and other heat treatment of boron steels.Those using hardening and heat treating Ruukki boron steels are specialists in
theirownrespectivefields.Customerscanobtainthedesiredmicrostructureandmechanicalpropertiesfortheirhardened
steel products by means of productspecific selection of tempering parameters. Expertise in ones own heat treatment
processcreatesastrongbasisforthecompetitivenessofourcustomersproducts.

Forming
The boron steel B 13S and B 24 grades in hotrolled and hardened condition can be cold formed at room temperature
(+20C)undernormalengineeringshopconditionsuptothethicknessof20mm.TheB27gradecanbeformedintheas
rolledcondition.Boronsteelinthehotrolledconditionismoreformablethanhardenedboronsteel,becauseitrequiresless
bendingforce.Theminimumbendingradiiforboronsteelsandrecommendationsforhotrolledandhardenedsteelshave
beenlistedinthetable.

Hardenableboronsteel

Coldformabilityintheasrolledconditionandashardened

Thickness(mm)

2.5
5

(5)
6

(6)
7

(7)
8

(8)
10

(10)
12

(12)
14

(14)
16

(16)
18

(18)
20

Heattreatment
condition

Thesmallestallowableinsidebendingradius(mm)

B
13S

Hotrolled

10

18

21

24

30

48

Oilhardened

15

18

21

24

30

48

Waterhardened

20

24

28

32

40

60

B24

Hotrolled

15

24

28

32

40

60

70

80

90

100

Oilhardened

20

30

35

40

50

72

84

96

108

120

Waterhardened

25

36

42

48

60

96

112

128

144

160

B27 Hotrolled

20

30

35

40

50

72

84

96

108

120

Oilhardened

Waterhardened

Flangingirrespectiveofrollingdirection.ItisrecommendedtocontactRuukki'sTechnicalCustomerServicepriortocoldformingofover20mmthickplates
andhardenedsteelgradeB27.

Platesthickerthan20mmmustbepreheatedtherecommendedformingtemperatureis150200C.Preheatingimproves
the deformation properties of the plate and guarantees successful bending. Special care must always be taken when
formingthickorhardenedplates.
Highqualitytechnologyshouldbeusedforforming,aswearoftools,insufficientlubrication,surfacedefectsonplatesand
burrs in cut edges will impair forming quality. A basic requirement for successful flanging and bending is that, prior to
commencingwork,aplatethathasbeenstoredinacoldatmosphereisallowedtowarmupthoroughlytoroomtemperature
(+20C).

Flamecutting
Specialcaremustbetakenintheflamecuttingofboronsteelsparticularlysowhencuttinghardenedand/orthickplates.
Prior to commencing work, a plate that has been stored in a cold atmosphere is allowed to warm up thoroughly to room
temperature(+20C).Excessivehardeningcanbepreventedbymeansofpreheatingtoraisetheworkingtemperature.Itis
recommendedtoraisetheworkingtemperaturewhentheplatethicknessisover10mmorwhencuttingsteelgradesB24
or B 27.The table gives the working temperatures recommended for hardened boron steels and boron steels in the hot
rolled condition. Steel grade B 13S does not require preheating even in the hardened condition, thanks to its low carbon
equivalentvaluesandsmallplatethicknesses.
RecommendedworkingtemperaturesBoronsteelsinhotrolledconditionorhardenedboronsteels
Steelgrade

Thicknessmm

WorkingtemperatureC

B24

1030

5075

B24

(30)60

75125

B27

1080

125175

B13Sdoesnot,eveninthehardenedcondition,requirepreheatingundernormalconditions.

Whenflamecuttinghardenedboronsteels,thehardnessoftheplatesdecreasesinareaswherethetemperatureexceeds
+200C. Softening is highlighted in the flame cutting of small components. In order to prevent excessive hardening, the
cooling of the cut area must not be accelerated externally on the contrary, the process should be slowed down, if
necessary,bycoveringtheplatewith,forexample,mineralwool.

Hardenableboronsteel

Mechanicalcutting
Inthehotrolledconditionboronsteelscanbemechanicallycutinthesamewayasstructuralsteelsofthesamestrength
grade, although the wear on cutting blades may be slightly greater. The mechanical cutting of hardened boron steels is
challenging,asthehardnessofthesteelapproachesthatofthecuttingblades.B13SandB24canbecutusingheavy,
robust machines.The mechanical cutting of B 27 is recommended only with reservation, and then only for plates whose
thicknessislessthan10mm.Thehardnessofthecuttingbladesmustbegreaterthan53HRC.Mechanicalcuttingofsmall
componentsmustbeavoided.

Machining
Boronsteelsinthehotrolledconditioncanbemachinedinthesamewayasstructuralsteelsofthecorrespondingstrength
grade.Robustmachineryandhardmetalbitsarerecommendedforthemachiningofhardenedboronsteels.Boronsteel
platescanbedrilledwithhighspeedsteelbitsifthebitgeometryandcuttingfluidarecorrectlychosen.
Furtherinformationonprocessinginthermalcuttingandflamestraighteningdatasheetandinmechanicalcuttingdatasheet.

Occupationalsafety
Specialcaremustbetakeninallstagesofhandlingandworkshopprocessingofboronsteels.Safeworkingmethodsare
particularlyimportantinbending,flangingandcutting.Thehandlinginstructionsofthesteelsupplierandsafetyinstructions
oftheworkshopmustbeadheredtoindetail.Newemployeesmustreceiveappropriatetrainingbeforetheyareallowedto
processboronsteels.

Order&delivery
Deliverycondition
Thedeliveryconditionforhardenableboronsteelishotrolled.

Inspectiondocument
TheinspectiondocumentstatesthechemicalcompositionincompliancewithEN10204.
RuukkiprovidesboronsteeldeliverieswiththesocalledAnalysiscertificate.
Alternatively, on the customers request, we either provide the Test report 2.2 or the Inspection certificate 3.1., in
accordancewithEN10204.

Generaldeliveryinformationforhotrolledsteels
GeneraldeliveryinformationcanbefoundfromdocumentsMarkingsandpacking,UltrasonictestingandGeneraltermsof
sale.

Thecontentofthisdocumenthasbeencreatedfromwebpagelastupdated25Apr2014
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