Heat Treatment of Cr- and Cr-V ledeburitic tool steels

Cr- and Cr-V ledeburitic cold work tool steels belong to the most important tool materials for large series manufacturing. To enable high production stability, the tools must be heat treated before use. This overview paper brings a comprehensive study on the heat treatment of these materials, starting from the soft annealing and finishing with the tempering. Also, it describes the impact of any step of the heat treatment on the most important structural and mechanical characteristics, like the hardness, the toughness and the wear resistance. The widely used AIS D2- steel (conventionally manufactured) and Vanadis 6 (PM) are used as examples in most cases

Tribological properties of CrAgN thin films

CrN and CrAgN thin films were magnetron sputtered onto the substrate made from Vanadis 6 cold work tool steel. The films were examined on tribological properties using a high temperature Pin-on-disc tribometer. Obtained results show that there is almost no effect of Ag addition on the friction coefficient when tested at a room temperature against alumina. The testing against the same counterpart at higher temperature gave positive effect of the silver addition on the m. The testing against 100Cr6 ball bearing steel gave higher friction coefficient than that against alumina while the testing against CuSn6-bronze led to much lower m. When tested at a room temperature, the wear performance of the films was positively affected only in the case of the CrAg3N film developed at 500 oC. On the other hand, addition of 3 wt% Ag into the CrN increased the wear performance at elevated temperatures while the addition of 15 wt% Ag has made the film too soft and sensitive to wear

Tribological properties of CrAgN thin films

CrN and CrAgN thin films were magnetron sputtered onto the substrate made from Vanadis 6 cold work tool steel. The films were examined on tribological properties using a high temperature Pin-on-disc tribometer. Obtained results show that there is almost no effect of Ag addition on the friction coefficient when tested at a room temperature against alumina. The testing against the same counterpart at higher temperature gave positive effect of the silver addition on the m. The testing against 100Cr6 ball bearing steel gave higher friction coefficient than that against alumina while the testing against CuSn6-bronze led to much lower m. When tested at a room temperature, the wear performance of the films was positively affected only in the case of the CrAg3N film developed at 500 oC. On the other hand, addition of 3 wt% Ag into the CrN increased the wear performance at elevated temperatures while the addition of 15 wt% Ag has made the film too soft and sensitive to wear

Heat Treatment of Cr- and Cr-V ledeburitic tool steels

Cr- and Cr-V ledeburitic cold work tool steels belong to the most important tool materials for large series manufacturing. To enable high production stability, the tools must be heat treated before use. This overview paper brings a comprehensive study on the heat treatment of these materials, starting from the soft annealing and finishing with the tempering. Also, it describes the impact of any step of the heat treatment on the most important structural and mechanical characteristics, like the hardness, the toughness and the wear resistance. The widely used AIS D2- steel (conventionally manufactured) and Vanadis 6 (PM) are used as examples in most cases

FRACTURE BEHAVIOUR OF P/M Cr-V LEDEBURITIC STEEL WITH DIFFERENT SURFACE ROUGHNESS

The samples made from the Vanadis 6 PM ledeburitic tool steel were surface machined to different quality and heat treated by standard regime of the processing. Three point bending tests were carried out on processed samples. It was found that the flexural strength decreased with decreasing surface quality. The lowering of flexural strength has been accompanied with the decrease of the plastic component of plastic straining preceeding to fracture initiation (work of fracture) of the material. It indicates that the surface roughness leads to the crack initiation before a larger plastic deformation of the material can be developed. Based on the results it can be suggested that to prevent the cracking of tools in the practice it is essential to make a surface machining (grinding, lapping, polishing) to as high quality as possible

CHARACTERIZATION AND PERFORMANCE OF DUPLEX-COATINGS ON Cr-V COLD WORK TOOL STEEL

Specimens made of Vanadis 6 steel were heat treated, plasma nitrided and coated with Cr2N. The microstructure, phase constitution and mechanical properties of plasma nitrided areas and duplex-coatings have been investigated using the light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and microhardness measurements. The adhesion of the coatings and the wear performance were studied using the scratch test and ring-on-plate tribological testing. Worn surfaces were examined by scanning electron microscopy. Nitrided areas formed at lower temperature were free of compound “white” layer while hose developed at higher temperatures contained as the white layer so the nitrided network. Significant increase in substrate hardness was detected due to the nitriding. Beneficial effect of the nitriding on the adhesion of Cr2N coatings was clearly determined whereas the extent in improvement of the adhesion depends on the presence/no presence of “white” layer on the surface. The extent of beneficial effect of plasma nitriding on the wear performance follows the impact of the constitution of nitrided areas on the adhesion. The amelioration of wear performance of Cr2N coatings can be attributed to the supporting effect of hard nitrided intermediate region, which provides excellent resistance of the substrate against plastic deformation, under heavy loading in particular. Practical testing demonstrated many times prolonged service-time of duplex-treated tools for sheet metal working.

CHARACTERIZATION AND PERFORMANCE OF DUPLEX-COATINGS ON Cr-V COLD WORK TOOL STEEL

Specimens made of Vanadis 6 steel were heat treated, plasma nitrided and coated with Cr2N. The microstructure, phase constitution and mechanical properties of plasma nitrided areas and duplex-coatings have been investigated using the light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and microhardness measurements. The adhesion of the coatings and the wear performance were studied using the scratch test and ring-on-plate tribological testing. Worn surfaces were examined by scanning electron microscopy. Nitrided areas formed at lower temperature were free of compound “white” layer while hose developed at higher temperatures contained as the white layer so the nitrided network. Significant increase in substrate hardness was detected due to the nitriding. Beneficial effect of the nitriding on the adhesion of Cr2N coatings was clearly determined whereas the extent in improvement of the adhesion depends on the presence/no presence of “white” layer on the surface. The extent of beneficial effect of plasma nitriding on the wear performance follows the impact of the constitution of nitrided areas on the adhesion. The amelioration of wear performance of Cr2N coatings can be attributed to the supporting effect of hard nitrided intermediate region, which provides excellent resistance of the substrate against plastic deformation, under heavy loading in particular. Practical testing demonstrated many times prolonged service-time of duplex-treated tools for sheet metal working.

Microstructure – Properties relationship in laser-welded AZ31B magnesium alloy

The AZ31B magnesium alloy was laser-welded at three different (1.2, 1.6, and 2 kW) laser output powers in the present work. All the butt weld joints are almost defect-free. The size of the weld joint slightly increases with increasing laser output power. The weld metal is formed by columnar grains of the alpha phase at the weld metal/base metal interface, but a finely equiaxed grain microstructure is formed in the centres of fusion zones. The minor phases are Mg17Al12 and (Al,Mg)8Mn5. The weld metal microstructure manifests clear refinement with a decrease in laser output power. Microstructural changes are reflected in changes in mechanical properties; weld joints prepared at the lowest laser output power manifest the highest microhardness, ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, and almost 90% joint efficiency. This is related to the different extents of strengthening mechanisms that act most effectively in weld joints made at 1.2 kW laser output power. Detail analysis of fracture surfaces confirmed that lower laser output power and general microstructural refinement favours the formation of plastically deformed material, which is in excellent agreement with both the experimentally determined and the calculated values of yield strength

Vacuum heat treatment

Conference on Vacuum Heat Treatment and Heat Treatment of Tools 2018 Selected, peer reviewed papers from the Conference on Vacuum Heat Treatment and Heat Treatment of Tools, November 20-21, 2018, Puchov, Slovakia

Effect of Different Surface Conditions on Toughness of Vanadis 6 Cold Work Die Steel—A Review

The effects of surface roughness, presence of nitrided diffusion regions, and magnetron sputtering of Cr2N−6Ag thin films on the toughness of Cr−V ledeburitic Vanadis 6 die steel were investigated by using the flexural strength measurement method, which was coupled with careful microstructural investigations and analyses of fractured surfaces. The results undoubtedly show that enhanced surface roughness reduces the material toughness, since the cusps formed on the metallic surface as a result of the machining act as preferential sites for crack nucleation and growth. The presence of nitrided regions on the surface, on the other hand, forms a structural notch there, which has a strong detrimental effect on toughness. Deposition of Cr2N−6Ag thin films has only marginal effect on the steel toughness. Practical recommendations for the designers, heat treaters, and coaters of the tools are thus that they should maintain the surface finish quality of the tools as high as possible, avoid too thick and supersaturated nitrided regions, and that there is almost no risk of tool embrittlement due to physical vapor deposition (PVD) coating