Carbide precipitation, coarsening and hardness variations have been investigated for a quenched and tempered Dievar steel by SEM, TEM, STEM, HRTEM, XRD and Rockwell hardness testing. The carbide precipitation sequence has been ascertained as: M8C7 + bainitic/auto-tempered carbides → M8C7 + M2C + M7C3 → M8C7+ M7C3 +M23C6 → M8C7 + M7C3 + M23C6 + M6C. Boundary carbides coarsen obviously faster than matrix ones. Hardness variations originating from the carbide evolution have been qualified. A fine-dispersion of M2C carbides leads to a high hardness tempered at 550°C, whereas the hardness drops drastically for tempering at 600/650°C predominately due to the dissolution of unstable M2C and the coarsening of carbides.
GopalsamyBMMondalBGhoshSExperimental investigations while hard machining of DIEVAR tool steel (50 HRC). Int J Adv Manuf Technol. 2010;51(9–12):853–869. doi:10.1007/s00170-010-2688-1.
2.
RongWDunlopG.The crystallography of secondary carbide precipitation in high speed steel. Acta Metall. 1984;32(10):1591–1599. doi:10.1016/0001-6160(84)90218-9.
3.
MesquitaRABarbosaCAMachadoAR.Heat treatment of tool steels. Compr Mater Finish. 2016;2:214. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-803581-8.09191-8.
4.
JespersonH.Influence of the heat treatment on the toughness of some hot-work tool steel grades. La Metall Italiana. 2013;XCIII(2):29–37.
5.
ZhouJMaDChiHMicrostructure and properties of hot working die steel H13MOD. J Iron Steel Res Int. 2013;20(9):117–125. doi:10.1016/S1006-706X(13)60166-1
6.
SongWMinYWuX.Study on carbides and their evolution in H13 hot work steel. Trans Mater Heat Treat. 2009;30:122–126. doi:10.1016/j.elecom.2008.10.019.
7.
MebarkiNDelagnesDLameslePRelationship between microstructure and mechanical properties of a 5% Cr tempered martensitic tool steel. Mater Sci Eng A-Struct Mater Prop Microstruct Process. 2004;387-389:171–175. doi:10.1016/j.msea.2004.02.073.
8.
WangHLiJShi CBEvolution of carbides in H13 steel in heat treatment process. Mater Trans. 2017;58(2):152–156. doi:10.2320/matertrans.M2016268.
9.
ZhangZZhangJYaoZDesign for novel hot-work die steel by thermodynamic calculation and microstructural examination. Metals (Basel). 2019;9(805):1–13. doi:10.3390/met9070805.
10.
ZhangZDelagnesDBernhartG.Microstructure evolution of hot-work tool steels during tempering and definition of a kinetic law based on hardness measurements. Mater Sci Eng A-Struct Mater Prop Microstruct Process. 2004;380(1/2):222–230. doi:10.1016/j.msea.2004.03.067.
11.
MellouliDHaddarNKosterAThermal fatigue failure of brass die-casting dies. Eng Fail Anal. 2012;20(3):137–146. doi:10.1016/j.engfailanal.2011.11.006.
12.
LiTSWangFMLiCRCarbide evolution in high molybdenum Nb-microalloyed H13 steel during annealing process. J Iron Steel Res. 2015;22(4):330–336. doi:10.1016/S1006-706X(15)30008-X
13.
DelagnesDLameslePMathonMHInfluence of silicon content on the precipitation of secondary carbides and fatigue properties of a 5% Cr tempered martensitic steel. Mater Sci Eng A-Struct Mater Prop Microstruct Process. 2005;394(1–2):435–444. doi:10.1016/j.msea.2004.11.050.
14.
ClarkeKDVan-TyneCJVigilCJInduction hardening 5150 steel: effects of initial microstructure and heating rate. J Mater Eng Perform. 2011;20(2):161–168. doi:10.1007/s11665-010-9825-8.
15.
SadhanG.Rate-controlling parameters in the coarsening kinetics of cementite in Fe-0.6C steels during tempering. Scr Mater. 2010;63(3):273–276. doi:10.1016/j.scriptamat.2010.04.002.
16.
InoueAMasumotoT.Carbide reactions (M3C→M7C3→M23C6→M6C) during tempering of rapidly solidified high carbon Cr-W and Cr-Mo steels. Metall Mater Trans A. 1980;11(5):739–747. doi:10.1007/BF02661203.
17.
KuoKJiaC.Crystallography of M23C6 and M6C precipitated in a low alloy steel. Acta Metall. 1985;33(6):991–996. doi:10.1016/0001-6160(85)90193-2.
18.
XiaSZuoPZengYInfluence of nickel on secondary hardening of a modified AISI H13 hot work die steel. Materialwiss Werkstofftech. 2019;50(2):197–203. doi:10.1002/mawe.201700205.
19.
LinYZhengYWuZA discussion of the effects of composition and heat treatment on the toughness of a medium carbon secondary hardening steel. Mater Sci Eng A-Struct Mater Prop Microstruct Process. 2019;748:213–227. doi:10.1016/j.msea.2019.01.079.
20.
FerrariMTCAnderssonJKvarnströmM.Influence of lowered austenitisation temperature during hardening on tempering resistance of modified H13 tool steel (Uddeholm Dievar). Int Heat Treat Surf Eng. 2013;7(3):129–132. doi:10.1179/1749514813Z.00000000071.
21.
ChenRWangZQiLLThe carbides, tensile properties, and work hardening behavior of annealed H13 die steels with varied yttrium contents. Mater Sci Eng A-Struct Mater Prop Microstruct Process. 2021;806(140856):1–10. doi:10.1016/j.msea.2021.140856
22.
RaoKPrabhuKN.A comparative study on cooling performance of hot oil and molten salt quench media for industrial heat treatment. J Mater Eng Perform. 2020;29(6):3494–3501. doi:10.1007/s11665-020-04635-x.
23.
ShiKFZhaoFLiuYThe effect of the pre-existing VC on the evolution of precipitate and mechanical properties in the H13 steel. Materials (Basel). 2022;15(11):3970.
24.
MayerSScheuCLeitnerHCorrelation between heat treatment, microstructure and mechanical properties of a hot-work tool steel. Int J Mater Res. 2009;100(1):86–91. doi:10.3139/146.101782.
25.
BhadeshiaHKHoneycombeSR.Steels: microstructure and properties. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann Press; 2017.
26.
GamsjägerESvobodaJFischerFD.Austenite-to-ferrite transformation in low-alloyed sreels. Comput Mater Sci. 2005;32(3–4):360–13, doi:10.1016/j.commatsci.2004.09.031.
27.
JuYGoodallAStrangwoodMCharacterisation of precipitation and carbide coarsening in low carbon low alloy Q&T steels during the early stages of tempering. Mater Sci Eng A-Struct Mater Prop Microstruct Process. 2018;738:174–189. doi:10.1016/j.msea.2018.09.044.
28.
TomitaYOkabayashiK.Mechanical properties of 0.4C-Ni-Cr-Mo high strength steel having a mixed structure of martensite and bainite. Metall Trans A. 1985;16(1):73–82. doi:10.1007/BF02656714.
29.
CabrolEBellotCLameslePExperimental investigation and thermodynamic modeling of molybdenum and vanadium-containing carbide hardened iron-based alloys. J Alloy Compd. 2013;556:203–209, doi:10.1016/j.jallcom.2012.12.119.
30.
BowenAWLeakGM.Diffusion in Bcc iron base alloys. Metall Mater Trans B-Proc Metall Mater Proc Sci. 1970;1(10):2767–2773. doi:10.1007/BF03037813.
31.
VýrostkováAKroupaAJanovecJCarbide reactions and phase equilibria in low alloy Cr-Mo-V steels tempered at 773-993 K. Part I: Experimental Measurements. Acta Mater. 1998;46(1):31–38. doi:10.1016/S1359-6454(97)00238-3.
32.
KraposhinVSYuSTalisALExperimental investigation of in-situ transformations of the M7C3 carbide in the cast Fe-Cr-Ni alloy. Phys Metals Metallogr. 2017;118(3):233–240. doi:10.1134/S0031918X17030097.
33.
ThomsonRCBhadeshiaHKDH.Carbide precipitation in 12Cr1MoV power plant steel. Metall Mater Trans A. 1992;23(4):1171–1179. doi:10.1007/BF02665048.
34.
FuJLiGMaoXNanoscale cementite precipitates and comprehensive strengthening mechanism of steel. Metall Mater Trans A. 2011;(42A): 3797–3812. doi:10.1016/S1872-2040(10)60412-4.
35.
KuceraJMillionBCihaK.Diffusion of Mo,W and V in Fe-Cr alloy with BCC lattice. Kov Mater. 1969;7:97–107. doi:10.1103/PhysRev.109.605.
36.
BowenAWLeakGM.Solute diffusion in α and γ iron. Met Trans 1971. 1695. doi:10.1007/BF02642019.
37.
ShewmonPG.Diffusion in solids. 2nd ed., McGraw-Hill, 1963. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-48206-4.
38.
HírschPBHumphreysFJ.Plastic deformation of two-phase alloys containing small nondeformable particles. physics of strength and plasticity. Cambridge: MIT Press; 1969.
