Effect of deep cryogenic treatment on the formation of nano-sized carbides and the wear behavior of D2 tool steel

Abstract

The effect of deep cryogenic treatment on the microstructure, hardness, and wear behavior of D2 tool steel was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), hardness test, pin-on-disk wear test, and the reciprocating pin-on-flat wear test. The results show that deep cryogenic treatment eliminates retained austenite, makes a better carbide distribution, and increases the carbide content. Furthermore, some new nano-sized carbides form during the deep cryogenic treatment, thereby increasing the hardness and improving the wear behavior of the samples.

Keywords

cryogenic treatment / tool steel / nano-sized carbides / wear resistance / hardness / austenite

References

[1] Akhbarizadeh A., Shafyei A., Golozar M.A. Effects of cryogenic treatment on wear behavior of D6 tool steel. Mater. Des., 2009, 30, 3259

[2] Tyshchenko A.I., Theisen W., Oppenkowski A., Siebert S., Razumov O.N., Skoblik A.P., Sirosh V.A., Petrov Y.N., Gavriljuk V.G. Low-temperature martensitic transformation and deep cryogenic treatment of a tool steel. Mater. Sci. Eng. A, 2010, 527, 7027

[3] Das D., Dutta A.K., Ray K.K. Sub-zero treatments of AISI D2 steel: Part I. Microstructure and hardness. Mater. Sci. Eng. A, 2010, 527, 2182

[4] Huang J.Y., Zhu Y.T., Liao X.Z., Beyerlein I.J., Bourke M.A., Mitchell T.E. Microstructure of cryogenic treated M2 tool steel. Mater. Sci. Eng. A, 2003, 339, 241

[5] Molinari A., Pellizzari M., Gialanella S., Straffelini G., Stiasny K.H. Effect of deep cryogenic treatment on the mechanical properties of tool steels. J. Mater. Process. Technol., 2001, 118, 350

[6] Lal D. M., Renganarayanan S., Kalanidhi A. Cryogenic treatment to augment wear resistance of tool and die steels. Cryogenics, 2001, 41, 149

[7] Amini K., Nategh S., Shafyei A. Influence of different cryotreatments on tribological behavior of 80CrMo12 5 cold work tool steel. Mater. Des., 2010, 31, 4666

[8] Darwin J.D., Lal D. M., Nagarajan G. Optimization of cryogenic treatment to maximize the wear resistance of 18% Cr martensitic stainless steel by Taguchi method. J. Mater. Process. Technol., 2008, 195, 241

[9] Das D., Dutta A.K., Ray K.K. Optimization of the duration of cryogenic processing to maximize wear resistance of AISI D2 steel. Cryogenics, 2009, 49, 176

[10] Oppenkowski A., Weber S., Theisen W. Evaluation of factors influencing deep cryogenic treatment that affect the properties of tool steels. J. Mater. Process. Technol., 2010, 210, 1949

[11] San Martin D., Van Dijk N.H., Brück E., Van der Zwaag S. The isothermal martensite formation in a maraging steel: A magnetic study. Mater. Sci. Eng. A, 2008, 481–482, 757.

[12] Das D., Dutta A.K., Toppo V., Ray K.K. Effect of deep cryogenic treatment on the carbide precipitation and tribological behavior of D2 steel. Mater. Manuf. Processes, 2007, 22, 474

[13] Amini K., Nategh S., Shafyei A., Rezaeian A. Effect of deep cryogenic treatment on the properties of 80CrMo12 5 tool steel. Int. J. Miner. Metall. Mater., 2012, 19, 30