Effects of Local Cooling Media on the Mechanical Properties of Heat Treated Mild Steel

This paper reports the effects of local cooling media (groundnut oil, palm oil, shea butter and air) on the mechanical properties of heat treated mild steel. Tensile test, hardness test and microstructural analysis were carried out on the heat treated and as-purchased specimens. The results show significant differences in the mechanical properties of the heat treated specimens. The hardness profile showed higher values for palm oil-cooled, shea butter-cooled, and the groundnut oil-cooled specimens in an increasing of order respectively when compared with as-purchased specimen with 194.9 VHN, while a decrease in hardness was recorded for the air-cooled specimen. Furthermore, the yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of the heat treated specimens obtained through the tensile test analysis showed an increase in yield strength for the groundnut oil-cooled (464.4 MPa) and the shea butter-cooled (412.9 MPa) specimens, and a decrease in yield strength for the air-cooled (358.3 MPa) and palm oil-cooled (307.7 MPa) specimens when compared with the as-purchased specimens (376.9 MPa). Also, the same trend was observed in the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of the specimens. In contrast, the ductility improved in air-cooled specimen (40.28) while decreased in the specimen cooled in the media when compared with as-purchased specimens (34.22). Furthermore, microstructural analysis revealed that the groundnut oil-cooled specimens gave a microstructural quality than the other heat treated specimens.