Tool Steels, 5th Edition (#06590G) Copyright © 1998 ASM International ®

Author(s): G. Roberts, G. Krauss, and R. Kennedy All rights reserved.

www.asminternational.org

Contents
Introduction 1
Tool Steels as Special Alloys 1
Historical Evolution of Iron and Steel 2
Tool Steel History 3
Summary 6
Classification and Selection of Tool Steels 7
Classification of Tool Steels 7
Selection of Tool Steels 15
Predicting the Performance of Tool Steels 15
Performance Selection Factors 19
Manufacturing Limitations 21
Examples of Tool Steel Selection 21
Selection of Steels for Cold-Heading Dies 22
Selection of Steels for Coining Dies 22
Selection of Steels for Cold-Work Dies and Punches 22
Selection of Tool Steels for Cold Forming Hexagon Nuts 23
Selection of Steels for Cold Extrusion 25
Selection of Steels for Shears 25
Selection of Steels for Die-Forging and Press-Forging Tools 26
Selection of Steel for Additional Uses 27
Manufacture of Tool Steels 29
Primary Melting 29
Electroslag Remelting 30
Primary Breakdown 33
Rolling 33
Hot and Cold Drawing 34
Continuous Casting 34
Powder Metallurgy 37
Osprey Process 40
Tool Steel Alloy Design 45
Phases and Phase Diagrams: General Considerations 45
Determination of Equilibrium Phase Diagrams 46
The Iron-Carbon Phase Diagram: Ferrite, Austenite, and Cementite 47
Alloying Elements: Effects on Ferrite and Austenite Stability 49
Martensite 50
Alloy Carbides and Tool Steel Alloy Design 55
Principles of Tool Steel Heat Treatment 67
Normalizing 69
Stress-Relief Heat Treatments 69
Annealing 72
Hardening: Introductory Considerations 73
Austenitizing for Hardening 74
Austenite Composition, M 8 Temperatures, and Retained Austenite 79
Austenite Grain Size and Grain Growth 81
Hardness and Hardenability 82
Diffusion-Controlled Phase Transformations of Austenite 87
Transformation Diagrams, Jominy Curves, and Hardenability:
General Considerations 89
Transformation Diagrams, Jominy Curves, and Hardenability: Tool Steels 90
Martensite Transformation Kinetics and Stabilization 96
Tempering 97
Practical Aspects of Tool Steel Heat Treatment 109
Salt Bath Furnaces 109

VII
Tool Steels, 5th Edition (#06590G) Copyright © 1998 ASM International ®
Author(s): G. Roberts, G. Krauss, and R. Kennedy All rights reserved.
Controlled-Atmosphere Furnaces www.asminternational.org
114
Vacuum Furnaces 114
Fluidized-Bed Furnaces 120
Water-Hardening Tool Steels 125
General Processing and Performance Considerations 125
Hardening and Microstructure of Water-Hardening Tool Steels 127
Hardenability of Water-Hardening Tool Steels 129
Tempering of Water-Hardening Tool Steels 130
Low-Alloy Special-Purpose Tool Steels 141
Low-Alloy Chromium Tool Steels with High Carbon Content 141
Low-Alloy Chromium Tool Steels with Medium Carbon Content 148
Low-Alloy Chromium Tool Steels Containing Nickel 150
Shock-Resisting Tool Steels 165
Alloying Effects of Silicon 165
Shock-Resisting Steels Containing Tungsten 166
Shock-Resisting Tool Steels without Tungsten 169
Oil-Hardening Cold-Work Tool Steels 181
Microstructures 181
Processing Prior to Hardening 182
Hardenability and Hardening 183
Tempering 184
Selection and Applications 186
Air-Hardening, Cold-Work Tool Steels 193
Microstructures 195
Processing Prior to Hardening 195
Hardenability and Hardening 195
Tempering 197
High-Carbon, High-Chromium, Cold-Work Tool Steels 203
Microstructure 203
Processing Prior to Hardening 204
Hardenability and Hardening 205
Tempering 209
Selection and Applications 216
Hot-Work Tool Steels 219
Chromium Hot-Work Steels 222
Tungsten Hot-Work Steels 234
Molybdenum Hot-Work Steel 240
High Speed Steels 251
Solidification of High-Speed Steels 253
Hot Work and Annealing 257
Austenitizing for Hardening of High-Speed Steels 259
Grain Size Control during Austenitizing 262
Cooling Transformations and Hardening 264
Tempering and Hardness of High-Speed Steels 269
Other Property Changes in Tempered High-Speed Steels 275
Summary: Alloying Elements in High-Speed Steels 282
High-Speed Tool Steel Applications 284
Single-Point Cutting Tools 284
Multipoint Cutting Tools 287
Factors in Selecting High-Speed Tool Steels 289
Mold Steels 291
Hubbing Grades 292
Machined Cavity Grades 295
Corrosion-Resistant Mold Steels 296
Forging, Annealing, and Stress Relieving 298
Carburizing, Hardening, and Tempering 298
Selection and Applications of Mold Steels 300

VIII
Tool Steels, 5th Edition (#06590G) Copyright © 1998 ASM International ®
Author(s): G. Roberts, G. Krauss, and R. Kennedy All rights reserved.
www.asminternational.org
Surface Mollification of Tool Steel 305
Oxide Coatings 306
Nitriding 306
Ion Implantation 309
Chemical and Physical Vapor Deposition Processing 310
CVD and PVD Coating Structure and Performance 313
Salt Bath Coating 316
Laser and Electron Beam Surface Modification 317
Boride Coatings 320
Troubleshooting: Manufacturing and Performance Problems... 325
Fracture and Toughness of Tool Steels: General Considerations 325
Steel Quality and Primary Processing 327
Mechanical Design 328
Heat Treatment Problems 329
Grinding and Finishing of Hardened Tools 338
Distortion and Dimensional Change 338
Index 345

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