ESTUDIO DE LA FRAGMENTACIÓN DE RECIPIENTES HERMÉTICOS SOMETIDOS A EXPLOSIÓN, FABRICADOS DE ACERO AL CARBONO AISI 1020, 1040 Y 1060

Abstract

Since the industrialization of Mexico, our national industry has depended of foreign technologies, many of them very old or even obsolete, leading to the manufacture of underperformed technology compared with those obtained abroad. This work reviews the manufacturing processes and the use of the most common materials employed in hermetic containers subject to explosion. The purpose of this paper is to propose an alternative in the chemical composition and heat treatment of raw materials in order to improve their performance (number of fragments / mass). 24 sealed vessels were manufactured, using 3 types of steel AISI 1020, 1040 and 1060, these containers were applied with agitated oil and tempered of 300 ° C, 350 º C and 400 ° C for 1 hour. Inside the container was placed explosive (TNT) which exploded around 4400 m / s, causing destruction in multiple fragments in a very short time (of the order of a few microseconds). According on the reported literature on these devices, we analyzed the metallographic and mechanical properties of steels before and after applying the thermal and mechanical characterization (microhardness) and metallographic fragments. It was shown that there is a clear difference, influenced by the structure, mechanical properties and fracture behavior at low (charpy test) and high speed (high explosive detonation) of deformation in the steel used. The analysis of results showed that there is no engineering relationship useful to predict the behavior of a material at high strain rates, using standardized tests of hardness, impact and tensile strength. It was concluded that in steels AISI 1040 and 1060, there is an increase in the ratio: fragments / mass, as you increase the carbon content and applying a quenching and tempering. By contrast, in the steel AISI 1020, revealed a decrease in this ratio by applying the aforementioned thermal treatments. In practical terms, looking for the highest ratio fragments / mass and respecting the designer's requirements, we propose two viable engineering alternatives: a.Making the AISI 1060 steel vessels without applying heat treatment. b.Making the AISI 1040 steel vessels with heat treatment 3.