A study of the effects of carburizing on fatigue characteristics of a cannon barrel / Hanafiah Mohd Ali and Mohamad Riza Ebrahim

This project paper is a study of the mechanical properties on heat treatment of a weapon barrel for engineering utilization. The objective of the study is to analyze the effect of mechanical properties of weapon barrel using samples taken from the barrel of the Ofo Melara 105mm Model 56 Pack Howitzers which is was given by the Ministry Of Defense, Malaysia. This study consists of two sets carburizing time which consists of 4 hours and 8 hours duration undergoing a pack carburizing process at a temperature of 750°C. It is from these two different time sets, we analyze the samples using rotating bending machine to obtain the fatigue limit and S-N curves regarding surface fatigue failure. The hardness values of non carburized and carburized specimens are also determined by the use of Series 600 Rockwell Hardness Tester. Microstructure analysis in the different type of specimens which are the non carburized and carburized at 4 and 8 hours indicate slight difference in the type of microstructures that are present.