Influence of heat treatment parameters on the properties … - 1

INFLUENCE OF HEAT TREATMENT PARAMETERS ON

THE PROPERTIES OF COMMON HOT-WORK TOOL
STEELS

K.-D. Fuchs
Deutsche Edelstahlwerke GmbH

Abstract
The properties of hot work tool steels are strongly dependent on a goal-directed, appropriate
heat treatment. Nonetheless, sometimes there are hardening temperatures applied, which are
considerably lower than recommended, in order to minimize crack risk and distortion. On the
other hand, there are also occasional instances of dies, which are accidentally superheated.

Using tests on laboratory scale the influence of various hardening temperatures on decisive
properties like toughness, strength and resistance to thermal fatigue is shown. Additionally,
case studies of dies with undesired microstructure are presented. Dilatometer tests simulating
the entire heat treatment procedure as well as metallographic analysis are used in order to
demonstrate, that an inadequate hardening temperature was the reason for these poor
microstructures.

Keywords
Heat Treatment, Microstructure, Properties, Hot-Work Tool Steels, Thermal Fatigue

INTRODUCTION
A correct heat treatment is of great importance for the properties of tools made from hot-
work steels. Hot-work tool steels are usually delivered in the annealed state. In this condition,
the microstructure consists of a ferritic matrix with embedded globular carbides. Usual hot-
work tool steels have a carbide content of 5 % in the annealed condition. To enable the
hardening process it is necessary to dissolve most of the carbides in the matrix (Fig. 1).
Increased austenitizing temperature result in increased dissolution of carbides but also in
coarsening of the grain structure (Fig. 2).
 Influence of heat treatment parameters on the properties … - 2

Therefore, the austenitizing temperature and time define the rate of carbide solution and
hence the properties of the steel. Many investigations have shown this influence using
laboratory tests with small samples. However, in practice structures and solution states far
away from this laboratory results can be observed. The present study aims at clarifying the
micro structural effects, toughness, crack behavior and thermal fatigue on laboratory scale also,
but with extreme austenitizing temperatures.

EXPERIMENTAL
A standard hot-work tool steel grade X40CrMoV5-1 (AISI H13) with chemical
composition (wt. percent) as shown in Table 1 was used.

Table 1: Chemical composition of the used hot-work tool steel

C Si Mn P S Cr Mo V
0,37 0,89 0,45 0,011 0,001 5,12 1,24 0,88

The initial heat treatment condition of the material was normalized and annealed with a
hardness of 180 HB. The structure is shown in Fig. 3.

Three sets of specimens were taken from the short transverse orientation corresponding to
the center location of the bar, machined and individually heat treated according to different
specifications to achieve a common hardness level of 45 +/- 1 HRC:

• 950 °C / 15’ / oil + 595 °C / 2h / air + 565 °C / 2h / air (low hardened state)
• 1040 °C / 15’ / oil + 610 °C / 2h / air + 600 °C / 2h / air (conventionally hardened state)
• 1150 °C / 15’ / oil + 610 °C / 2h / air + 620 °C / 2h / air (high hardened state)

The resulting microstructures of these different treatments are demonstrated in Fig. 4 – 6.

Examination by light optical microscope shows only slight differences between Fig. 4 and
Fig. 5. The low hardened material reveals a few coarse martensite needles, which are not
observed in the conventionally hardened one. The high hardened structure displays coarse
grains and heavy carbide precipitations along the grain boundaries.

Impact toughness testing was carried out for all three heat treatment conditions. Average
values out of a set of nine parallel Charpy V-notch specimens are presented in Fig. 7. As can be
seen, conventional heat treatment yields highest toughness values.

Analysis of the fracture surface of material austenitized at 950 °C by scanning electron

microscope revealed a ductile fracture with nearly 100 % transgranular quasi-cleavage (Fig. 8).
The conventional hardened specimen showed similar fracture surfaces but with an amount of
interrupts by stages and shallow holes (Fig. 9). According to experience, this kind of
morphology can be found when the material is comparatively tough. In contrast to the fracture
 Influence of heat treatment parameters on the properties … - 3

surfaces in Fig. 8 + 9 the examination of the high hardened specimen (Fig. 10) demonstrate a
brittle intergranular fracture due to the grain boundary carbide precipitations.

One of the major failure modes of hot-work tools is heat checking influenced by the
thermal fatigue behavior of the tool steel. To determine the heat checking resistance of
specimens with the three described heat-treat conditions a particularly designed device has
been used. An indexing wheel transfers the samples to an induction loop heating the samples
up to a temperature of 650 °C before being water quenched. After a specified number of
cycles, these specimens were microscopically examined in order to determine the number and
length of the cracks occurred on the surfaces. Fig. 11 presents the result of this heat checking
tests. It is quite obvious that the material hardened with an austenitizing temperature of
1040 °C displays the best resistance against heat checking for any number of thermal cycles.

Contrary to laboratory tests with small samples, real tools sometimes show unexpected and
unintended microstructures. An example is shown in Fig. 12. The samples corresponding to
these micrographs were taken from two inserts of a plastic mould made from X37CrMoV5-1
(AISI H11). Each insert had a dimension of approximately 800 mm x 500 mm x 1000 mm. In
an attempt to obtain the finest possible microstructure after heat treatment, these comparatively
large and complicated shaped details were vacuum-hardened at a low hardening temperature of
980 °C. Additionally, an interrupted quenching process (so-called salt bath effect) was carried
out in order to minimize crack risk. The outcome, however, was a considerable amount of
pearlite. Preliminary dilatometer tests simulating the entire heat treatment procedure suggest
that the combination of low hardening temperature and interrupted quenching was the origin of
the pearlite. Possibly the solution state of an austenitizing temperature of 980 °C was to low to
ensure sufficient through-hardenability. This view needs to be substantiated by further tests.

CONCLUSIONS
A hardening process with low austenitizing temperature causes a solution state with a high
amount of undissolved carbides. Thus, many of the alloying elements are bound in carbides
and the matrix is lower alloyed. Laboratory tests reveal that the high quantity of carbides
results in low toughness and low strength at high temperature as well low resistance to heat
checking. On the other hand hardening with particularly high austenitizing temperature results
in coarse grain structure and poor properties as well.
 Influence of heat treatment parameters on the properties … - 4

Carbide content [%]

1,5

1
X37CrMoV5-1
0,5 X40CrMoV5-1

0
980°C 1020°C 1040°C
Austenitizing temperature [°C]

Figure 1 Carbide content depending on austenitizing temperature.

Figure 2 Grain size depending on austenitizing temperature.

Figure 3 X40CrMoV5-1 (AISI H13), as annealed structure.

 Influence of heat treatment parameters on the properties … - 5

Figure 4 Low hardened structure (950 °C, Oil) of steel grade

X40CrMoV5-1 (AISI H13).

Figure 5 Conventional hardened structure (1040 °C, Oil) of steel grade

X40CrMoV5-1 (AISI H13).

Figure 6 High hardened structure (1150 °C, Oil) of steel grade

X40CrMoV5-1 (AISI H13).
 Influence of heat treatment parameters on the properties … - 6

20

Impact energy [J]

15

10

0
950°C 1040°C 1150°C
Austenitizing temperature

Figure 7 Average impact energy of three different sets of Charpy V-

notch specimens, X40CrMoV5-1 (AISI H13).

Figure 8 SEM pictures from fracture surfaces of Charpy V-notch

specimens austenitized at 950 °C, quenched in oil and tempered to 45 HRC.

Figure 9 SEM pictures from fracture surfaces of Charpy V-notch

specimens austenitized at 1040 °C, quenched in oil and tempered to 45 HRC.
 Influence of heat treatment parameters on the properties … - 7

Figure 10 SEM pictures from fracture surfaces of Charpy V-notch

specimens austenitized at 1150°C, quenched in oil and tempered to 45 HRC.

16

14
T o tal crack len g th [m m ]

12

10

0
1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000

Number of alternating thermal cycles

AT 950°C AT 1150°C AT 1040°C

Figure 11 Heat checking resistance of 1.2344 (H13), hardened and

tempered at different hardening temperatures, quenched in oil and tempered to
45 HRC.
 Influence of heat treatment parameters on the properties … - 8

Figure 12 SEM pictures of pearlite , found in two plastic mould inserts

made of X37CrMoV5-1 (AISI H11), vacuum-hardened at 980 °C with
interrupted quenching.

REFERENCES
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Thyssen Edelstahl Technische Berichte Special Issue (1990), p. 32-44
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Congress, Toronto, Canada, 1987
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