MMET 207

Tool Steels
Dr. Price
Fall 2020
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 Tool Steels: Properties
Hardening Characteristics
• Safety in hardening: risk of damage from
hardening (quench cracks)
• Depth of hardening: hardenability, through
hardening
 Tool Steels: Properties
Hardening Characteristics
• Size change in hardening: very important
for design net part size change after
hardening and tempering
 Tool Steels: Properties
Hardening Characteristics

• Resistance to decarburization: scale,

oxidation of surface during heat
treatment
 Tool Steels: Properties
Use Characteristics

• Resistance to heat softening: if enough

heat is generated during operations that

could cause tempering, softening of tool

steel
 Tool Steels: Properties
Use Characteristics

• Wear resistance: difficult to quantify,

dependent upon specific application or wear

criteria
 Tool Steels: Properties
Use Characteristics
• Toughness: all tool steels have little or no
toughness, some are just worse than
others
• Machinability: difficult to quantify, very
subjective
 Summary
• Steels within a particular group have similar
properties
• Air hardening tool steels have best safety in
hardening and lowest distortion; oil
hardening is medium safety, med.
distortion; water is worst
• High speed tool steels as a group have
poorest toughness and machinability
 Summary
• A, D, H and high speed tool steels are deep
hardening
• Resistance to decarburization varies –
usually only issue for mill producers
• H, D, and high speed steels are the best for
resistance to softening
• High speed and D series have good abrasion
resistance