Experimental analysis and topology optimization of plowshare material improved with 54SiCr6 alloyed steel

The machine part, referred to as Plowshare, which is used in the agriculture, is made of 54SiCr6 alloy steel as the raw material. Due to the unpredictable stressing conditions such as varying sizes of stones and gravel, aggregates, tree roots, etc., found in the soil, the material fails to demonstrate sufficient strength under usage conditions, leading to cracks on the material surface and subsequent failures such as fracture under stress. In this thesis, the aim is to improve the strength and mechanical properties of the 54SiCr6 alloy steel material to eliminate this problem. Initially, heat treatment processes, specifically quenching and tempering, were performed after subjecting the material to high temperatures. The changes in the material's characteristic behaviors as a result of the heat treatments were observed and analyzed. Studies have been conducted to improve the properties of the 54SiCr6 material by leveraging materials science to address problems like this and others. It's essential to optimize not only the material strength and characteristic properties of the machine part but also to optimize the weight of the Plow Share for the use of the machine and its impact on tractor traction forces when attached to the back of a tractor, making topology optimization highly significant. Therefore, one of the main focuses of the thesis is topology optimization. The quenching process provides less hardness to the material compared to the tempering process but provides more ductility. The average hardness values increased from 28 HRC in the raw material to 31.6 HRC after heat treatments. Following topology optimization, a reduction of 1 kg in the material weight was achieved, along with improvements in volume and surface area.