A sample of 0.8 wt % carbon steel is quenched from high temperature

PHYSICS · Subjective · CBSE · Physics · Semiconductor Electronics · Semiconductor Electronics

Problem

A sample of 0.8 wt % carbon steel is quenched from high temperature, giving a hardness of 65 HRB. The same composition, when slowly annealed, shows a hardness of 40 HRB. Justify why the quenching process results in higher hardness, with reference to the positions of carbon atoms in the lattice and the resulting strain.

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