Research & Development

May 2008

Effect of ferrovanadium inoculation on

microstructure and properties of high
speed steel
*Zhang Xipeng1, Kou Guojun1, Wu Chunjing1, Gan Zhaiping2, Zhao Wanzi2, Chuan
Xiangzhao2, Ma Ye2
(1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China; 2. Wuhan Iron and
Steel Group Co., Wuhan 430083, China)

Abstract: The effect of ferrovanadium inoculation on the microstructure and properties of high speed steel
(HSS) used for rolls was studied. The results showed that the as-cast eutectic carbide network tends to be broken
after ferrovanadium inoculation, and the carbides are changed to rod-like or nodular shape. After heat treatment,
the carbides in the inoculated HSS are spheroidized and distributed more uniformly in the matrix. The impact
toughness of high speed steel with ferrovanadium inoculation is obviously improved. The action mechanism of
ferrovanadium inoculation on the microstructure of the alloy is also discussed.

Key words: high speed steel; carbides; inoculation

CLC Number: TG142.1 Document Code: A Article ID: 1672-6421(2008)02-0095-04

I n recent years, roll materials have been developed to

improve the quality and productivity of rolled products
to meet industrial demands. High speed steel (HSS) has
used as modification agent? There is no report about this in
the literature; such a replacement was studied in the present
research.
been used for rolls since it has several inherent advantages
over conventional roll materials, such as excellent hardness, 1 Experimental procedure
strength, fracture toughness, wear resistance, and thermal-
The charge materials for melting the HSS included scrap
fatigue life. The properties of HSS rolls are critically
HSS, other scrap steel, pig iron, ferromolybdenum,
dependent upon the type, distribution and shape of carbides.
ferrochromium and ferrovanadium. Charge materials
It has been reported that most of the primary carbides are
were melted in a 50 kg medium frequency air melting
distributed mainly along intercellular boundaries formed
induction furnace. Two heats of HSS were prepared. One
during solidification and are retained even in the finished
heat of HSS was melted as normal without ferrovanadium
products, which may result in low fracture toughness and
inoculation; the other heat of HSS used less ferrovanadium
thermal-fatigue life [3,4]. In order to improve mechanical
in charge and the liquid steel later was inoculated with 1%
properties, modification by specific minor additions has been
of ferrovanadium (containing 52% vanadium) of 2–3 mm
used for HSS [5-7]. Vanadium is a strong carbide forming
in size. Ladle inoculation was used. The tap temperature
element. It is reported that vanadium, as a modification
was about 1,600℃ for both of the two heats. Melts with
agent, has significant effect on the properties of white
or without inoculation were both poured into a sand mould to
cast iron and cast steel [8-9]. In HSS, vanadium is the most
obtain ingots of 200 mm × 30 mm × 150 mm in size. The final
important element and its composition usually keeps to more
chemical compositions of HSS samples are given in Table 1.
than 4%. What will happen if a part of vanadium in HSS is
Table 1 HSS final composition, wt.%
Addition of
C Si Mn Cr Mo V Ni S P
Ferrovanadium
Un-inoculated 1.79 0.50 0.50 5.10 4.22 5.10 0.50 0
≤0.05 ≤0.05
Inoculated 1.80 0.48 0.50 5.12 4.20 5.13 0.50 1.0

*Zhang Xipeng The cast samples were heat treated. The heat treatment
Male, born in 1977, doctor. Research interest: HSS roll materials
process is shown in Fig.1. As seen in Fig. 1, firstly the samples
and casting process. were annealed at 900℃ for 3 hours, then cooled in the furnace
E-mail: zhang_xipeng@126.com to 550℃ and held for 2 hours, and finally air cooled to room
Received: 2006-09-26, Accepted: 2007-12-20 temperature; secondly the samples were austenitized at 1,060℃

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 CHINA FOUNDRY
for 1 hour, then air cooled; thirdly the samples were tempered
at 550℃ for 1 hour for three times.
The specimens taken from the HSS samples were
polished and etched with 4% nital, and the microstructure
Fig.1 The treatment process of HSS
2 Results and discussion
The optical micrographs of as-cast HSS samples are shown in
Figs. 2 (a) and (b). It can be seen from Fig. 2 (a) that the coarse
eutectic carbides are mostly located along cell boundaries
forming continuous networks, and the cell sizes are 50 to 100
µm. With ferrovanadium inoculation, see Fig. 2 (b), the network
carbides are broken and refined, and the rod-like or nodular
carbides increased, and the carbides are relatively uniformly
distributed in the matrix, and the cell sizes are relatively small.
(a) Uninoulated
(b) Inoculated by 1.0% ferrovanadium
Fig.2 Microstructure of as-cast HSS
Figure 3 shows the micrographs of the samples after
quenching. In this study, the HSS samples were austenitized
at a high temperature of 1,060℃, this makes the carbides
decompose and dissolve in the matrix relatively easy. For
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Vol.5 No.2
was investigated using an optical microscope and a
scanning electron microscope (SEM). Compositions of
carbides were analyzed by energy dispersive spectroscopy
(EDS).
(a) Uninoulated
(b) Inoculated by 1.0% ferrovanadium
Fig.3 Microstructure of HSS after quenching
the uninoculated HSS after quenching although the carbides
become thinner, the strip-like carbides formed during
solidification are still around cell boundaries, the carbide
continuous network still exists, see Fig. 3 (a); whereas in the
inoculated HSS by ferrovanadium, the lath-shaped coarse
carbides disappear and are replaced by short rod-like and
spherical carbides less than 10 um in size. Generally the
carbides become separated from each other and relatively
uniformly distributed. This is because inoculation makes the
network carbides break and isolate from each other. When
austenitized at a high temperature it is much easier for carbides
to decompose and spheroidize [10], this is beneficial for the
mechanical properties of HSS.
The hardness and impact toughness of the HSS are given in
Table 2. It is noted that the ferrovanadium inoculation increases
 Research & Development
May 2008

Table 2 Properties of high speed steel

Hardness Impact toughness
HRC J/cm2
Un-inoculated 62.0 3.3
Inoculated 61.4 4.5

the impact toughness of HSS obviously, but has little effect on

the hardness. Studies in references [3,11] had found that fracture
of HSS rolls occurred along coarse and hard carbides, the
microcracks were initiated at the carbide/matrix interfaces or by
the fracture of carbides themselves which formed along the cell
boundaries. Therefore the shape, size, distribution and volume
fraction of coarse carbides distributed along cell boundaries
have significant effect on the fracture properties such as impact
toughness. In this study, the carbides in the uninoculated HSS
are coarse and form a network along cell boundaries, and
have a destructive effect on the matrix; the microcracks are
easily formed and propagated in these brittle carbides, hence
the uninoculated HSS has a lower impact toughness. On the
contrary, in the inoculated HSS by ferrovanadium, carbides are
refined and more uniformly distributed; the spherical carbides
are separated from one another. In this case, impact toughness is
improved because a higher stress intensity factor is required and
cracks are not easy to propagate. The overall hardness of HSS
are mainly dependent on the volume fraction of carbides and the
hardness of the matrix [12] and inoculation has little effect on the
volume fraction of carbides and the hardness of the matrix [12], so
the overall hardness of the HSS has little change after inoculation.
Investigation on the microstructure and properties of HSS
reveals that inoculation of HSS by ferrovanadium can break
up the coarse continuous carbide network, and the carbides
are refined and more uniformly distributed in the matrix.
This is because the addition of ferrovanadium influences the Fig. 5 Microstructure and EDX analysis of undissolved
solidification process of the HSS. ferrovanadium particles in the HSS
In order to analyze the effects of vanadium added to the HSS,
and L→ c+M7C3. Therefore, the eutectic carbides are mainly
the liquidus surface diagram of Fe-5Cr-5W-5Mo-V-C showing
distributed around the primary cell boundaries.
the solidification process, as in Fig.4, can be applied roughly to
When certain amount of ferrovanadium is added into
the alloy compositions of the HSS used in the present study[14].
liquid steel, the concentration of vanadium is increased at
In the case of HSS without ferrovanadium inoculation, eutectic
local micro-areas of the liquid phase because the percentage
reaction L→c+MC occurs after the crystallization of primary c
of vanadium is high in ferrovanadium (about 52%).
from liquid is ended; after the eutectic reaction L→c+MC
According to the Fe-5Cr-5W-5Mo-V-C diagram, when the
is finished, alloy content is increased in the residual liquid metal,
vanadium content is high enough at local micro-areas during
M2C or M7C3 carbides are crystallized from the residual liquid
solidification, primary MC carbide is formed before c from
by the peritectic and eutectic reactions of L+MC→c+M2C
the liquid and these primary MC carbides could supply more
nuclei for c and MC during eutectic reaction, therefore the
crystal grains are refined. It can be said that the ferrovanadium
plays a role of nucleating agent in solidification. Figure 5
shows the undissolved ferrovanadium particles in the HSS
sample. EDX analysis indicated that the large white area (A)
is ferrovanadium, a lot of fine particles around this area are
primary MC carbides. This is in agreement with the previous
analysis.

3 Conclusions
Fig. 4 Liquidus surface diagram of Fe-5Cr-5W-5Mo-V-C
alloy system (1) In the microstructure of HSS alloy without
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ferrovanadium inoculation, coarse eutectic carbides are
connected to each other forming continuous network along
grain boundaries. After ferrovanadium inoculation, the
morphology, size and distribution of carbides are changed
greatly. The carbide network is broken and the carbides are
changed to rod-like or nodular shape. After heat treatment, the
carbides are spheroidal and more uniformly distributed in the
metal matrix.
(2) The impact toughness of HSS inoculated with
ferrovanadium is increased obviously because inoculation
improves the shape and distribution of carbides.
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