146 / Heat Treaters

Guide

1018
Chemical Composition.
AISI and UNS: 0.15 to 0.20 C. 0.60 to
0.90 hln. 0.040 P max. 0.050 S max

Recommended

Similar

Normalizing.

Steels (U.S. and/or Foreign).

UNS

Gl0180;

AMS

5069; ASTM A 108. A5 IO. A5 13. AS 19, AS-U. A535. AS-N. A519. A576.
A659: MILSPEC
MIL-S-11310
(CSlOl8);
SAE J103. J-II?. J-II-l

Characteristics.
Excellent forgeability.
reasonahly good cold formability, and excellent vveldability. As carbon content increases. strength also
increases, accompanied
by a small decrease in cold formability.
Machinability is relatively poor compared with the I100 and 1200 grades. The
slightly higher manganese (compared with 1017) provides a slight increase
in strength in the nomralized or annealed condition. Higher manganese also
provides for a mild increase of hardenability
for case hardened parts
Forging.

Heat to 1275 C (7375 F). Do not forge below 910 C (1670 OFJ

Heat Treating

Practice

Heat to 925 C (I 695 F). Air cool

Annealing.
Heat to 885 C (I675
cooler or by furnace cooling

F). Cool

slowly,

preferably

in a

Hardening. May be case hardened by liquid or gas carburizing, or by

flame hardening. (See procedure for 1020.) Quenchants include aqueous
polymers. hlore often. it is subjected to light case hardening by carbonitriding or casing in a liquid bath. (See procedure for 1008 steel.) In many
instances. forgings of this grade are used in service either as forged or as
forged and normalized. Grade 1018 is used to a considerable extent for
carburizing to deep case depths
1018: Carburized, Oil Quenched, and Tempered. 12.7-mm
(0.5in.)
diam bar, carburized
at 925 C (1695 F) for 4 l/2 h. oil
quenched,
and tempered
at indicated temperatures

Nonresulfurized

1018: Carburizing Temperature vs Depth of Case. Treated 3 h

at temperature.
Endothermic gas atmosphere,
enriched with
natural gas. Carbon potential automatically
controlled by dew
point method, producing 0.90 to 0.95% surface carbon.

Carburizing
Symbol

%pera%!

,3.

1950

1065

0..
A

1900
1850
1800

1040
1010
980

8: : : : : : : :c%

E
L

Dew point

-7 to -5
-2 to
0
+2 to +14
+6 to +9
+14
+11 to +15
+13

-22
-19
-17
-14

C
to
to
to
to

Steels / 147

1018: Hardness vs Tempering Temperature. Decrease of surface hardness with increasing tempering temperature. Rockwell
C converted from Rockwell 30-N. Carbonitrided 2 l/2 h

Symbol
.:I, .........................
..........................
t ..........................
A...........................145

NH,. 2
.1550
..155 0
.1450
0

845
845
790
790

1;
1:

-21
-18
-10
-13

-10
-12 to -10
-9

1018: Carbon, Nitrogen, and Hardness Gradients. Carbonitrided

verted from Tukon

Carbon

at 845 C (1555 F), 4 h. Oil quenched at 55 C (130 F). Hardness con-

148 / Heat Treaters

Guide

1018: Effect of Tempering Temperature on Hardness Gradients. Tempered 1 h at temperature.

Rockwell C hardness converted from

dickers. (a) Carbonitrided at 790 C (1455 F) ,2 l/2 h; 5% NH,. (b) Carbonitrided at 790 C (1450 F), 2 l/2 h; 10% NH,. (c) Carbonitrided
at 845 C (1555 F), 2 l/2 h; 5% NH,. (d) Carbonitrided at 845 C (1555 F), 2 l/2 h; 10% NH,

1018: EfFect of Ammonia in Carbonitriding

Gas on Hardness Gradient. (a) Carbonitrided

at 845 C (1555 F), 2 l/2 h. Hardness converted from Vickers

at 790 C (1450 OF), 2 l/2 h. (b) Carbonitrided

Nonresulfurized

Carbon

Steels / 149

1018: Hardness vs Tempering Temperature. Represents an average based on a fully quenched structure (no case hardening)

1018: Microstructures. (a) 1% nital, 500x. Carburized 8 h. Surface carbon content, 0.60 to 0.70%. Ferrite (light areas), outlining prior
austenite grain boundaries, and pearlite (dark areas). (b) 1% nital, 500x. Carburized 4 h. Surface carbon, 0.70 to 0.80%; wholly pearlitic.
Below surface, dark areas are pearlite. Areas of ferrite outline prior austenite grain boundaries. (c) 1% nital. 500x. Carburized 6 h. Surface
carbon, 0.90 to 1 .OO%. Thin film of carbide outlines pnor austenite grain boundaries in matrix of pearlite. (d) 1% nital. 500x. Carburized 16
h. Surfacecarbon, 1 .OOto 1 .lO%. Surface layer, carbide. Below surface, thin film of carbide outlines prioraustenite grain boundaries in pearlite matrix. (e) 1% nital. 500x. Carburized 18 h in continuous furnace. Cooled under atmosphere in furnace vestibule. Partly separated layer
of carbide (approximately 0.90% carbon) covers pearlite matrix. (f) 1% nital, 500x. Carburized 12 h. Surface carbon. approximately 1 .lO%.
Carbide surface layer. Film of carbide outlines prior austenite grain boundaries in pearlite matrix

(continued)

150 / Heat Treaters

Guide

1018: Microstructures (continued). (g) 1% nital. 500x. Gas carburized, 5 h; 925 C (1700 F), pit-type furnace with air leak. Furnace
cooled to 540 C (1000 F) in 2 h 10 min. Air cooled to room temperature. Thin decarburized layer (ferrite), caused by furnace leak, covers
surface. Matrix is pearlite, with carbide at prior austenite grain boundaries. (h) 1% nital, 500x. Gas carburized, furnace cooled, and cooled
to room temperature under same conditions as (g), except furnace leak was more severe. Decarburized layer (ferrite) caused by leak is
thicker and covers matrix of pearlite. Carbon has diffused from grain boundaries. (j) 3% nital, 200x. Carbonitrided, 4h; 845 C (1555 F) in
3% ammonia. Propane, 6%; remainder, endothermic gas. Oil quenched. Cooled to -74 C (-100 F). Tempered 1 l/2 h at 150 C (300 F).
Tempered martensite: some bainite. (k) Nital, 100x. Carbonitrided 4 h; 845 C (1555 F). Oil quenched; not tempered. Stabilized by subzero
temperature. Normal case structure for carbon steel. Contains martensite, carbide particles, and small amount of retained austenite. (m)
Picral, 200x. Annealed by austenitizing at 885 C (1625 F), 2 h. Cooled in furnace. Fully annealed structure consists of patches of pearlite
(dark areas) in matrix of ferrite (light areas)