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1
Cover photos from left to right: Bhler Uddeholm Czech Republic,
Uddeholms AB/HRDtekno, Eifeler Werkzeuge, Germany.
UDDEHOLMS AB
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notes on our products and their uses. It should not therefore be construed as a warranty of
specific properties of the products described or a warranty for fitness for a particular purpose.
Classified according to EU Directive 1999/45/EC
For further information see our Material Safety Data Sheets.
CONTENTS
3
HEAT TREATMENT OF TOOL STEEL
2.98 A
Austenite has a higher solubility limit Precipitated secondary (newly It is possible to make use of different
for carbon and alloying elements, and formed) carbides and newly formed combinations of these factors that
the carbides will dissolve into the martensite can increase hardness will result in the same hardness level.
matrix to some extent. In this way during high temperature tempering. Each of these combinations corre-
the matrix acquires an alloying con- Typical of this is the so called sec- sponds to a different heat treatment
tent of carbide-forming elements that ondary hardening of e.g. high speed cycle, but certain hardness does not
gives the hardening effect, without steels and high alloyed tool steels. guarantee any specific set of proper-
becoming coarse grained. Usually a certain hardness level is ties of the material. The material
If the steel is quenched sufficiently required for each individual applica- properties are determined by its
rapidly in the hardening process, the tion of the steel, and therefore heat microstructure and this depends on
carbon atoms do not have the time treatment parameters are chosen to the heat treatment cycle, and not on
to reposition themselves to allow the some extent in order to achieve the the obtained hardness.
reforming of ferrite from austenite, as desired hardness. It is very important Quality heat treatment delivers not
in for instance annealing. Instead, they to have in mind that hardness is the only desired hardness but also opti-
are fixed in positions where they mized properties of the material for
really do not have enough room, and Hardness the chosen application.
the result is high micro-stresses that Tool steels should always be at
contribute to increased hardness. C least double tempered. The second
This hard structure is called marten- B tempering takes care of the newly
site. Thus, martensite can be seen as a D formed martensite during cooling
forced solution of carbon in ferrite. after the first tempering.
When the steel is hardened, the Three temperings are recom-
matrix is not completely converted mended in the following cases:
A
into martensite. There is always some high speed steel with high carbon
Tempering temperature
austenite that remains in the struc- content
A = martensite tempering
ture and it is called retained austenite. complex hot work tools, especially
B = carbide precipitation
The amount increases with increasing C = transformation of retained austenite to in the case of die casting dies
alloying content, higher hardening martensite
big moulds for plastic applications
temperature, longer soaking times D = tempering diagram for high speed steel
and high alloy tool steel when high dimension stability is
and slower quenching. A+B+C = D a demand (such as in the case of
After quenching, the steel has a
The diagram shows the influence of gauges or tools for integrated
microstructure consisting of marten-
different factors on the secondary circuits)
site, retained austenite and carbides.
hardening.
This structure contains inherent
stresses that can easily cause crack-
ing. But this can be prevented by result of several different factors,
reheating the steel to a certain tem- such as the amount of carbon in the
perature, reducing the stresses and martensitic matrix, the micro-
transforming the retained austenite stresses contained in the material, the
to an extent that depends upon the amount of retained austenite and the
reheating temperature. This reheating precipitated carbides during temper-
after hardening is called tempering. ing.
Hardening of tool steel should always
be followed immediately by temper-
ing.
It should be noted that tempering
at low temperatures only affects the
martensite, while tempering at high
temperature also affects the retained
austenite.
After one tempering at a high tem-
perature the microstructure consists
of tempered martensite, newly
formed martensite, some retained Uddeholm Dievar,
austenite and carbides. 20m
hardened structure.
5
HEAT TREATMENT OF TOOL STEEL
Stress relieving exceptions cheaper than making di- In the case of big tools with complex
Distortion due to hardening must be mensional adjustments during finish geometry a third preheating step
taken into account when a tool is machining of a hardened tool. close to the fully austenitic region is
rough machined. Rough machining recommended.
The correct work sequence before hard-
causes thermal and mechanical ening operaiton is:
stresses that will remain embedded rough machining, stress relieving and Holding time at
in the material. This might not be semi-finish machining. hardening temperature
significant on a symmetrical part of It is not possible to briefly state exact
simple design, but can be of great recommendations to cover all heat-
importance in an asymmetrical and Heating to ing situations.
complex machining, for example of hardening temperature Factors such as furnace type, hard-
one half of a die casting die. Here, As has already been explained, ening temperature, the weight of the
stress-relieving heat treatment is stresses contained in the material charge in relation to the size of the
always recommended. will produce distortion during heat furnace, the geometry of the different
This treatment is done after rough treatment. For this reason, thermal parts in the charge, etc., must be
machining and before hardening and stresses during heating should be taken into consideration in each case.
entails heating to 550700C (1020 avoided. The use of thermocouples permits
1300F). The material should be The fundamental rule for heating an overview of the temperature in
heated until it has achieved a uniform to hardening temperature is there- the different areas of the various
temperature all the way through, fore, that it should take place slowly, tools in the charge.
where it remains 23 hours and then increasing just a few degrees per The ramping step finishes when the
cooled slowly, for example in a fur- minute. In every heat treatment, the core of the parts in the furnace reach
nace. The reason for a necessary heating process is named ramping. the chosen temperature. Then the
slow cooling is to avoid new stresses The ramping for hardening should be temperature is maintained constant
of thermal origin in the stress-free made in different steps, stopping the for a certain amount of time. This is
material. process at intermediate tempera- called holding time.
The idea behind stress relieving is tures, commonly named preheating The generally recommended hold-
that the yield strength of the material steps. The reason for this is to equal- ing time is 30 minutes. In the case of
at elevated temperatures is so low ise the temperatures between the high speed steel, the holding time will
that the material cannot resist the surface and the centre of the part. be shorter when the hardening tem-
stresses contained in it. The yield Typically choosen preheating tem- perature is over 1100C (2000F). If
strength is exceeded and these peratures are 600650C (1100 the holding time is prolonged, micro-
stresses are released, resulting in a 1200F) and 800850C (1450 structural problems like grain growth
greater or lesser degree of plastic 1560F). can arise.
deformation.
The excuse that stress relieving
takes too much time is hardly valid
when the potential consequences are
considered. Rectifying a part during
semi-finish machining is with few
MPa
Yield strength
Residual stresses
contained in the material
Plastic
deformation
Temperature
.
The use of thermocouples gives an overview of the temperature in different areas during
heat treatment. Photo: Bhler Uddeholm Czech Republic
6
HEAT TREATMENT OF TOOL STEEL
Temperature
A poor quenching rate will lead to
carbide precipitation at the grain
AC3
AC1
boundaries in the core of the part,
and this is very detrimental to the
mechanical properties of the steel.
Also the obtained hardness at the
surface of larger parts could be lower
Batch prepared for heat treatment.
Photo: Bhler Uddeholm Czech Republic. for tools with bigger cross-sections
Core than that for smaller parts, as the
high amount of heat that has to be
It is still possible to find some heat transported from the core through
treatment shops that use salt baths, Surface the surface produces a self-tempering
but this technique is disappearing due MS effect.
to environmental aspects.
Oil and polymer solutions are
usually utilised for low alloyed steel Martensite
and for tool steel with low carbon
Time
contents. Martempering or step-quenching.
7
HEAT TREATMENT OF TOOL STEEL
SOME PRACTICAL ISSUES VACUUM TECHNOLOGY When the furnace reaches a tem-
At high temperature, steel is very Vacuum technology is the most used perature of approx. 850C (1560F),
likely to suffer oxidation and varia- technology nowadays for hardening the effect of radiation heating
tions in the carbon content (carburi- of high alloyed steel. mechanisms will overshadow that of
zation or decarburization). Protected Vacuum heat treatment is a clean the convection ones in the heat
atmospheres and vacuum technology process, so the parts do not need to transfer process. Therefore the
are the answer to these problems. be cleaned afterwards. It also offers a Nitrogen pressure is lowered, in
Decarburization results in low sur- reliable process control with high order to optimize the effects of
face hardness and a risk of cracking. automation, low maintenance and radiation and convection heating
Carburization, on the other hand, environmental friendliness. All these mechanisms are negligible under
can result in two different problems: factors make vacuum technology these new physical conditions. The
the first and easiest to identify is especially attractive for high-quality new value of the nitrogen pressure
the formation of a harder surface parts. is around 7 mbar. The reason for
layer, which can have negative having this remaining pressure is to
effects avoid sublimation of the alloying
the second possible problem is
retained austenite at the surface
Top gas flap Heating elements
Retained austenite can in many cases
be confused with ferrite when ob- Heat exchanger
Furnace
serving it through the optical micro- vessel
scope. These two phases also have
similar hardness, and therefore, what
at first sight can be identified as a
decarburization can in some cases be
Cooling phase, top cooling. Illustration from Schmetz GmbH Vacuum Furnaces, Germany.
The different steps in the functioning elements, i.e. to avoid the loss of
of a vacuum furnace can schematically alloying elements to the vacuum.
be listed as follows: This low pressure condition will be
When the furnace is closed after maintained invariant during the last
charging operation, air is pumped part of the heating process, as well
Batch type furnace with controlled out from the heating chamber in as during the holding time at the
atmosphere. Photo: Bodycote Stockholm, order to avoid oxidation. chosen hardening temperature.
Sweden.
An inert gas (most commonly The cooling down will be carried
Nitrogen) is injected into the heat- out by a massive injection of inert
ing chamber until a pressure of gas (most commonly nitrogen)
the completely opposite problem.
around 11.5 bar is reached. into the heating chamber in alter-
For these reasons it is very impor-
tant that the atmosphere in which The heating system is started.
the heat treatment takes place does The presence of the inert gas will
not affect the carbon content of the make possible the heat transfer
part. process through convection mecha-
Wrapping in a hermetically closed nisms. This is the most efficient way
stainless-steel foil also provides some to heat up the furnace to a tem-
protection when heating in a muffle perature of approx. 850C(1560F).
furnace. The steel foil should be re-
moved before quenching.
Hot zone with graphite insulation. Photo:
Schmetz GmbH Vacuum Furnaces, Germany.
8
HEAT TREATMENT OF TOOL STEEL
Vertical cooling
Horizontal cooling
Cooling phase. Nitrogen gas stream passes through the heating chamber in different
directions. Illustration from Schmetz GmbH Vacuum Furnaces, Germany.
9
HEAT TREATMENT OF TOOL STEEL
}
Uddeholm has made a wide range of
Retained
experiments and measurements and austenite
collected the resulting data regard-
ing hardness, toughness, dimensional
changes and retained austenite in
graphs. These graphs are available for
the different steel grades and are of
great help in order to choose the Evolution of the phase
correct tempering temperature. After After After first After second After third content along the
heating quenching tempering tempering tempering*
The first priority when choosing different steps of the
*HSS steel and big high-pressure die casting dies heat treatment.
the tempering temperature should be
the mechanical properties, as some
small dimensional adjustments can be
made in a last fine machining step.
The mechanical and physical proper-
ties obtained after tempering will
depend greatly on the chosen tem-
pering temperature. High-tempera-
ture tempering will result in a lower
content of retained austenite than
low-temperature tempering. The
material will therefore have higher
compressive strength and improved
dimensional stability (in service and A lower die for
at surface coating). aluminium rim just
When tempering at high tempera- before heat treatment
ture, other differences in properties on charging grid.
are also noticeable, like higher heat Photo: ASSAB elik
conductivity. (Turkey)
10
HEAT TREATMENT OF TOOL STEEL
11
HEAT TREATMENT OF TOOL STEEL
How can distortion SUB-ZERO TREATMENT each tempering. Always finish with a
be reduced? Retained austenite in a tool can tempering as last operation, in order
transform into martensite during to avoid the existence of untempered
Distortion can be minimized by:
service. This will lead to local distor- martensite in the part.
keeping the design simple and
symmetrical tion and embrittlement of the tool
eliminating machining stresses due to the presence of untempered
by stress relieving after rough martensite. Therefore the require-
ment of maximum dimensional stabil-
Surface treatment
machining
heating up slowly to hardening ity in service has an implied demand Nitriding
temperature for very low or no retained austenite Nitriding is performed by exposing
using a suitable grade of steel content. This can be achieved by the parts to some media rich in
quenching the piece as slowly as using sub-zero treatment after nitrogen under certain physical con-
possible, but quick enough to quenching or by high temperature ditions that will result in the diffusion
obtain a correct microstructure tempering. of nitrogen atoms into the steel and
in the steel The sub-zero treatment leads to the formation of nitrides. The part
by usage of martempering or step a reduction of retained austenite surface will then be harder and have
quenching content by exposing the tool or part a higher wear resistance in its outer
tempering at a suitable temperature to very low temperatures. The most layer.
commonly used are about -80C In the case of corrosion resistant
The following values for machining (-110F) and -196C (-320F). This, in steel with high-chromium content, it
allowances can be used as guidelines. turn, will result in a hardness in- is very important to take into con-
crease of up to 12 HRC, in com- sideration the fact that nitriding has a
Machining allowance parison to non sub-zero treated detrimental effect on the corrosion
Uddeholm on length and diameter tools, if low temperature tempering
Steel grade as % of dimension resistance of the material. In other
is used. For high temperature tem- cases nitriding can have a positive
ARNE 0,25 % pered tools there will be little or no effect on the corrosion resistance.
CALDIE 0,25 %
hardness increase. Appropriate steel to be nitrided
CALMAX/CARMO 0,20 %
CHIPPER/VIKING 0,20 % Tools that are high temperature are usually medium-carbon steel
RIGOR 0,20 % tempered, even without a sub-zero with nitride-forming elements such
SLEIPNER 0,25 % treatment, will normally have a low as chromium, aluminium, molyb-
SVERKER 3 0,20 % retained austenite content and in denum and vanadium.
SVERKER 21 0,20 %
most cases, a sufficient dimensional The core should act as a stable
VANADIS 4 EXTRA 0,15 %
VANADIS 6 0,15 %
stability. However, for high demands substrate regarding mechanical prop-
VANADIS 10 0,15 % on dimensional stability in service it erties and microstructure. This
VANADIS 23 0,15 % is also recommended to use a sub- means that for hardened material it
VANCRON 40 0,20 % zero treatment in combination with is necessary to temper above the
CORRAX 0,050,15 %* high temperature tempering. nitriding temperature in order to
ELMAX 0,15 %
For the highest requirements on avoid softening of the core during
MIRRAX ESR 0,20 %
STAVAX ESR 0,15 % dimensional stability, sub-zero treat- the nitriding process.
UNIMAX 0,30 % ment in liquid nitrogen is recom- It should be noted that a nitrided
ALVAR 0.20 % mended after quenching and after surface cannot be machined with
ALVAR 14 0.20 %
DIEVAR 0,30 %
HOTVAR 0,30 % No treatment
ORVAR 2 MICRODIZED 0,20 % Sub-zero treatment
ORVAR SUPREME 0,20 % Hardness HRC Retained austenite %
QRO 90 SUPREME 0,30 %
75 24
VIDAR SUPERIOR 0,25 %
70 Hardness 21
BURE 0.20 %
65 18
* Depending on ageing temperature 60 15 Uddeholm Sleipner.
55 12 Hardness and retained
50 9 austenite as function of
45 Retained austenite 6 tempering temperature
40 3 with and without sub-zero
35 treatment.
150 250 350 450 550 650C
300 480 660 840 1020 1200F
Tempering temperature C
12
HEAT TREATMENT OF TOOL STEEL
cutting tools and can only be ground for this purpose. The temperature Surface coating
with difficulty. A nitrided surface will range for this process is 550C to Surface coating of tool steel has
cause problems in weld repairing as 580C (1020F to 1075F) and the become a common practise. The
well. time of exposure is between 30 min- general aim for these kinds of pro-
There are several technologies utes and 5 hours. cesses is to generate an outer layer
available in the field of nitriding; the After the exposure the part should with a very high hardness and low
main ones are gas nitriding, high pres- be cooled down rapidly. friction that results in good wear
sure nitriding (carried out in vacuum resistance, minimising the risk for
furnaces) and plasma nitriding.
Two common problems of con-
Case hardening adhesion and sticking. To be able to
use these properties in an optimal
ventional nitriding technologies are Case hardening is a process in which
way a tool steel of high quality should
possible over-tempering of the sub- a finished part is exposed to a
be chosen.
strate material and thickening of the carburizing atmosphere and high
The most commonly used coating
nitrided layer in the sharp corners. temperature simultaneously. The
methods are:
Pulsed plasma nitriding technology temperature range is 850C950C
(1560F1740F). This exposure physical vapour deposition
diminishes the possibility of over-
generates a layer with higher carbon coating (PVD coating)
tempering by applying the plasma
intermittently on the part. This pro- content, normally 0.11.5 mm thick. chemical vapour deposition
vides a better control over the local After the layer has been formed, the coating (CVD coating)
temperatures during the process. part is to be quenched in order for Chemical vapour deposition coating
Active screen plasma nitriding is also a the layer to transform into marten- can also be carried out with a
development of plasma nitriding tech- site with higher carbon content, and plasma assisted technology
nology. This technology promises a it will therefore have a higher hard- (PACVD)
uniform thickness of the nitride layer ness. Tempering of the part should
independently of its geometry. follow.
Platings
Chromium and nickel metallic
platings are commonly used for a
variety of tooling applications, like
plastic injection moulds. Platings
may be deposited over most steel
grades and they will prevent seizing
and galling, reduce friction, increase
surface hardness and prevent or
reduce corrosion of the substrates
surface.
13
HEAT TREATMENT OF TOOL STEEL
HRC D
h0 h e
F
Surface of specimen
100 h0
d
Hardness scale
e h
0,2 mm
h
HRC
0
14
HEAT TREATMENT OF TOOL STEEL
differ in the shape of the specimens. Fillet
These are usually provided with a V-
or U-shaped notch, the test methods
being then known as Charpy V and
Charpy U respectively.
For the most part, tool steel has a
rather low toughness by reason of its
high strength. Materials of low tough-
ness are notch sensitive, for which
reason smooth, unnotched speci-
mens are often used in the impact
testing of tool steel. The results of
the tests are commonly stated in
joules, or alternatively in kgm
(strictly speaking kgfm), although
Heat treatment
J/cm2 or kgm/cm2 is sometimes used Choose suitable hardnesses for the
instead, specially in Charpy U testing. application concerned. Be particularly
careful to avoid temperature ranges
Tensile test. that can reduce toughness after
tempering.
Tensile tests are used mostly on Keep the risk of distortion in mind
structural steel, seldom on tool steel. and follow recommendations con-
It is difficult to perform tensile tests cerning machining allowances.
at hardnesses above 55 HRC. Tensile It is a good idea to specify stress
tests may be of interest for tougher relieving on the drawings.
types of tool steel, especially when
they are used as high strength struc-
tural materials. These include e.g.
Uddeholm Impax Supreme and
Uddeholm Orvar Supreme.
15
HEAT TREATMENT OF TOOL STEEL
Vacuum furnace.
16
HEAT TREATMENT OF TOOL STEEL
ALVAR 14 8501) 54 53 45 42 38
ALVAR 900 54 53 45 43 41
ARNE 8301) 62 60 45 43 41 38
BURE 1020 52 52 53* 52 46
CALDIE 1020 61*** 59 50
CALMAX 960 59 58 53 53 50 43
CARMO 960 59 58 53 53 50 43
CHIPPER 1010 59 57 59* 58 56 48
CORRAX 8502)
DIEVAR 1025 53 52 52* 52 47
ELMAX3) 1080 59 58 60** 59** 58**
FERMO Delivered in prehardened condition
FORMAX Delivered in prehardened condition
HOLDAX Delivered in prehardened condition
HOTVAR 1050 56 57 53
IMPAX
SUPREME Delivered in prehardened condition
MIRRAX ESR 1020 50 52** 42** 36
MIRRAX 40 Delivered in prehardened condition
NIMAX4) Delivered in prehardened condition
ORVAR
SUPREME 1020 52 52 54* 52 46
ORVAR
SUPERIOR 1020 52 52 54* 52 46
ORVAR 2
MICRODIZED 1020 52 52 54* 52 46
POLMAX 1030 53 52 54** 53** 37
QRO 90
SUPREME 1020 49 49 51* 51* 505)
RAMAX HH Delivered in prehardened condition
ROYALLOY Delivered in prehardened condition
RIGOR 950 61 59 56* 55* 53 46
SLEIPNER 1030 60 59 62*** 60 48
SR 1855 850 63 62 50 48 46 42
STAVAX ESR 1030 53 52 54*** 43*** 37
SVERKER 3 960 60 59 56 53
SVERKER 21 1020 63 59 60 57 54 48
UHB 11 As-delivered condition (~200HB)
UNIMAX 1020 55 49
VANADIS 4
EXTRA3) 1020 59 61*** 60 52
VANADIS 63) 1050 63 62 62*** 59 52
VANADIS 103) 1060 63 62 62*** 60 52
3 x 560C
VANCRON 403) 9501100 5765
VIDAR
SUPERIOR 1000 52 51 51* 50 45
VIDAR 1 1000 54 53 55* 52 46
VIDAR 1 ESR 1000 54 53 55* 52 46
High speed steel 3 x 560C
VANADIS 233) 10501180 6066
VANADIS 303) 10001180 6067
VANADIS 603) 10001180 6469
* This tempering temp. should be avoided due to the risk of temper brittleness.
** For Uddeholm Stavax ESR, Uddeholm Mirrax SER, Uddeholm Polmax and Uddeholm Elmax corrosion resistance is reduced.
*** The lowest tempering temperature when high temperature tempering is 525C.
1)
Quench in oil
2)
Solution treatment. Ageing: ~50 HRC after 525C/2 h, ~46 HRC after 575C/2h, ~40 HRC after 600C/4h.
3)
Powder Metallurgy tool steel
4)
The delivery hardness of Uddeholm Nimax can not be increased. Tempering shall be avoided as toughness will be reduced.
5)
At 650C 2 x 2h: 42 HRC
17
HEAT TREATMENT OF TOOL STEEL
56 601 640
57 620 660
59 638 680
59 700
60 720
61 740
62 760
63 780
64 800
64 820
65 840
66 860
66 880
18
Network of excellence
Uddeholm is present on every continent. This ensures you
high-quality Swedish tool steel and local support wherever you
are. Assab is our exclusive sales channel, representing Uddeholm
in the Asia Pacific area. Together we secure our position as the
worlds leading supplier of tooling materials.
www.assab.com www.uddeholm.com
UDDEHOLM R-130927
UDDEHOLM is the worlds leading supplier of tooling materials. This
is a position we have reached by improving our customers everyday
business. Long tradition combined with research and product develop-
ment equips Uddeholm to solve any tooling problem that may arise.
It is a challenging process, but the goal is clear to be your number one
partner and tool steel provider.
Our presence on every continent guarantees you the same high quality
wherever you are. ASSAB is our exclusive sales channel, representing
Uddeholm in the Asia Pacific area. Together we secure our position
as the worlds leading supplier of tooling materials. We act worldwide,
so there is always an Uddeholm or ASSAB representative close at
hand to give local advice and support. For us it is all a matter of trust
in long-term partnerships as well as in developing new products.
Trust is something you earn, every day.