In the present work the relationship between the microstructure and the hardness of an AISI H-13 tool steel both with and without an addition of niobium was studied. Extensive investigation by direct observation using optical and electron microscopy was carried out. It was found that the deformation during ausforming introduces changes in the microstructure, such as high dislocation density and carbide precipitation, which affect the hardness of the steels. The results show that the partial substitution of vanadium by niobium does not lead to any significant change in the hardness of the hot work tool steels investigated.
MST/1559
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