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Materials Today: Proceedings 11 (2019) 363–369 www.materialstoday.com/proceedings

ICMTMTE_2018

The Influence of Heat Treatment Conditions on Structuring of

Steel for Production of Injection Molding
Evgeniy Romashkov*, Svetlana Krylova, Andrey Fot, Оlga Romashkova
Orenburg State University, Victory avenue 13, Orenburg, 460018, Russian Federation

Abstract

The benchmarking study of structuring processes in complex alloyed tool steel was made to change the die steel 4Cr4MoWVSi
that is applied at present for production of a plug of injection molding machine for a new more advanced steel 70Cr3Mn2VTiB.
© 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Selection and/or Peer-review under responsibility of International Conference on Modern Trends in Manufacturing Technologies and Equipment
2018: Materials Science.

Keywords: dit steel, microalloying complex, heat hardening, injection molding, X-ray structure analysis.

1. Main text

Injection molding (IM) is the most advanced way of cast sections preparing. Preparing of casting by IM is
appropriate only if their production is of long-run nature. It depends on high prime cost of this type of casting. More
critical parts of tools, cutting dies, casting moulds, matrixes and plugs are made from carbon and alloyed tool steel of
specific types and known as die.
Operating history of die steel showed some problems connected with service defects like fire crack, surface
fracture, low service durability of dies, figure 1.
The biggest costs at the LPD are making molds. These costs are 50-70 % of the total cost of production of
castings method of LPD. Among the costs for the manufacture of molds the most significant the article is the cost of
high-alloy die steels, of which form-forming inserts are made.

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +7-922-822-7490

E-mail address: evgeniyromashkov@yandex.ru

2214-7853 © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Selection and/or Peer-review under responsibility of International Conference on Modern Trends in Manufacturing Technologies and Equipment
2018: Materials Science.
364 Е. Romashkov, S. Krylova, A. P.Fot, О. Romashkova /Materials Today: Proceedings 11 (2019) 363–369

Fig. 1. Service defects of die tool.

One of the version of effective operation of metallurgic production is the hardening of the die by the choice of
optimal microalloying complex and heat treatment conditions optimization of experienced tool steel. Consequently,
we made researches comparing steel 4Cr4МoWVSi commonly used in machine building enterprises and steel
70Cr3Mn2VTiB previously developed and investigated in terms of phase transformation kinetic [1]. The cast
structure of compared steel is presented on figure 2.

Fig. 2. Cast structure of steel 70Cr3Mn2VTiB(a) and 4Cr4MoWVSi(b): а) martensite-troostite-austenitic structure (hardness 43-
45 HRC, microhardness of carbide phase ~ 10500-11000 N/mm2; metallic matrix ~ 6500-7500 N/mm2); b) ferritic-pearlitic
structure (hardness 33-35 HRC, microhardness of carbide phase ~ 11000 N/mm2; metallic matrix 3500 N/mm2).

Cast structure of steel 70Cr3Mn2VTiB is characterized by intense dendritic structure. Dendrites have significant
branching and an average diameter of branches is about 0,15-0,18 um, there are some inclusions of carbide. Cast
structure of steel 4Cr4MoWVSi has nonuniform structure, there is some kind of eutectic composition with brittle
constituent in the form of extended carbide inclusions.
By way of recristallization, lowering of hardness and the level of residual stress, preventing of flakes and
providing of satisfactory metal constructability by mechanical operation blocked examples were subject to
spheroidize annealing.
 Е. Romashkov, S. Krylova, A. P.Fot, О. Romashkova /Materials Today: Proceedings 11 (2019) 363–369 365

Fig. 3. Structure of steel 4Cr4MoWVSi after annealing 1100 оС, SEM ×1500.

Fig. 4. Structure of steel 70Cr3Mn2VTiB after annealing 1000 оС, SEM ×500.

In structure of annealed steel 4Cr4MoWoWSi (figure 3) there are big differences from steel 70Cr3Mn2VTiB
(figure 4). Metal base is like a mixture of lamellar and divorced perlite divided by carbide basket on crystal
boundary. In steel 70Cr3Mn2VTiB there is more balanced structure including lamellar perlite forming by equal
carbide spreading [2].
As hardenable mode of heat treating we used quenching with the following high-temperature tempering.
On figure 5 is presented the character of changing of hardness, the quantity of retained austenite and the quantity
of carbide phase depending on hardening temperature.

Fig. 5. The influence of austenitisation temperature on the quantity of carbide phase and hardness of steel 70Cr3Mn2VTiB.
366 Е. Romashkov, S. Krylova, A. P.Fot, О. Romashkova /Materials Today: Proceedings 11 (2019) 363–369

The researches showed that the dependency of tampered steel hardness on austenitisation temperature ranging
from 850-1100 °С looks like a curve with a maximum within 51-55 HRC. The growth of hardness can be explained
by the increase of carbon content in martensite by means of carbides solution. The big reduction of hardness in
temperature range above the maximum depends on the growth of crystal grain and the increase of the quantity of
retained austenite which hardness is low.
It’s apparent that the quantity of carbide phase by austenitisation temperature increase from 900 to 1200 °С is
lowering from17,8 to 4,2 % and the most intensive this change can be seen in the temperature interval 1000-1050 °С
because of solution of the main carbide mass.
Characteristic curves analysis showed that the hardness size depends on the proportion of two opposite acting
factors: retained austenite percent the increase of which lowers the hardness and carbon concentration in martensite
by increase of which the martensite hardness grows. Beginning with hardening temperatures 1000-1050 °С the first
factor prevails and it engenders a decline of initial hardness of steel 70Cr3Mn2VTiB.
The knowledge of resolving mechanism of undercooled austenite allowed choose the optimal hardening mode:
hardening by 1000 оC, rate of heating 25 оС/h, holding time 2 hours with oil cooling.

Fig. 6. SEM of die steel after hardening 1000 оС in oil ×1000.

In structure of researched steel after hardening appears lamellar martensite with high density dislocation. There
are also martensitelike areas formed by austensite break up in bainite mechanism. The hardness became HRC 57-60
[3].
It has been established that by this temperature satisfied grain size is formed (for hot working stamp is at least 9
balls as per GOST 5632-82) and necessary quantity of retained austenite (15-17%) for secondary hardness
appearing, figure7.

Fig. 7. The structure of die steel after hardening 1000 оС in oil and abatement by 650 оС at 3 hours exposures. SEM ×1000.
 Е. Romashkov, S. Krylova, A. P.Fot, О. Romashkova /Materials Today: Proceedings 11 (2019) 363–369 367

In abatement process happens some kind of martensite breakdown and transition to troostite-martensite metal
base with additional excrete of carbide metallics. By tempering temperature corresponding 650 оС, microstructure of
steel 70Cr3Mn2VTiB initiates fully as dispersed ferrite cementite matrix with carbide hardening [2,3].
In steel 4Cr4MoWVSi after hardening with high tempering is observed a clear separation of structure fragments
in martensite area and ferrite cementite mixture separated by carbide basket. It should be assumed that this carbide
dissimilarity after heat treating causes the destruction by exploitation of finished product in the form of a punch [4].
In order to fully identify the structural characteristics and determine the relationship between the atomic-crystal
structure and the properties of materials, an X-ray diffraction analysis was performed.
A qualitative X-ray diffraction analysis was carried out from surveys of samples. The experimental diffraction
spectra of the samples under study are shown on figure 8.

Fig. 8. The X-ray pattern of steel 70Cr3Mn2VTiB: а) after hardening in 1000 °C; b)after hardening in 1000 °C, and abatement
550 °C at 1 hour exposures.

On the X-ray pattern of test model 70Cr3Mn2VTiB hardened in oil (figure 6) are identified carbides of type TiС,
Fe3C, there is diffraction spectrum γ-Fe and separate spectrums pointing at existence of oxide of type TiO2. X-ray
diffraction study of sample surface of 70Cr3Mn2VTiB after hardening by 1000 °C and abatement 650 °C at 1 hour
exposure (figure 7) found carbides Cr23C6, Cr3C2, Cr7C3, V2C, Fe3C. There is full diffraction spectrum α-Fe in all
samples of steel 70Cr3Mn2VTiB. Significant quantity of carbide highs proves the process of formation of additional
carbide phases by abatement.
368 Е. Romashkov, S. Krylova, A. P.Fot, О. Romashkova /Materials Today: Proceedings 11 (2019) 363–369

Fig. 9. X-ray pattern of steel 4Cr4MoWVSi: а) after hardening by 1000 °C; b) after hardening by 1000 °C and abatement 650 °C
at 3 hours exposure.

Experimental diffraction spectrums of researched samples of steel 4Cr4MoWVSi are presented on figures 9. On
X-ray pattern of sample 4Cr4MoWVSi after hardening in oil were found carbides Fe3C and there are also diffraction
spectrums γ-Fe. X-ray diffraction study of sample surface of 4Cr4MoWVSi after hardening by 1000 °C and
abatement 650 °C at 3 hours exposure showed the presence of carbides Cr23C6, Cr7C3, Fe3C. X-ray diffraction study
of steel 4Cr4MoWVSi shows that the phase base makes α-Fe.
On the base of these researches was concretized the hardening mode of thermal treating of test steel (Тз=1000 оС,
oil; То=650оС air). On test steel in such mode comparative analysis of physical characteristics was done (table 1) [5].

Table 1. Steel physical characteristics

Hardness, Breaking point Toughness, Percent elongation, Contraction,
Steel grade
HRC σв, МPа КСU, kJ/m2 δ, % ψ, %
4Cr4MoWVSi 50/52 1370/1490 112/156 10/13 45/49
70Cr3Mn2VTiB 54/56 1520/1610 156/168 10/12 41/43

Comparative analysis shows that by the same correlation of hardness the offered steel exceeds the traditional one
in strength, toughness and durability. The advantages are sometimes 40%. The test steel differs low content of
chrome and microalloying complex different from steel 4Cr4MoWVSi. Microalloying complex of steel
70Cr3Mn2VTiB (V – Ti – B) with carbon content of 0,67 forms sticky metallic base keeping dispersive carbide
inclusions that are formed at the stage of heat hardening and this provides high values of physical characteristics,
heat resisting and service durability of stamp instrument and this allows recommend it to implementation and change
of traditional die steel as more advanced one.
 Е. Romashkov, S. Krylova, A. P.Fot, О. Romashkova /Materials Today: Proceedings 11 (2019) 363–369 369

Acknowledgements

The work was carried out in the framework of the regional grant in the field of scientific and technical activities
in the category "for the financing of advanced research and development of industrial designs of machines,
equipment and products to organizations engaged in innovative activities" to implement the innovative project "
Development of import-substituting steels with the desired properties for metallurgical production of the Orenburg
region»

References

[1] Patent № 2535148, Publication date: 20.07.2014. Krylova S.Е., Kamantsev S.V., Sokolov S.О. Instrument Steel for Hot Working.
[2] Е. V. Romashkov, S. Е. Krylova The Development of Contents and Ways of Thermal Treatment of Instrument Steel with Microalloying
Complex Intended to Heavy Duty Engineering Products, TSU Publishing house, Tolyatti, 2016, pp. 7-13.
[3] I.I. Novikov, The Theory of Thermal Treatment, М.: Metallurgy, 1986, 480 p.
[4] S.E. Krylova, E.V. Romashkov, A.V. Kuznetsov, Peculiarities of Thermal Hardening of Experimental Sparingly-Alloy Tool-Class Steels,
Materies Engineering and Technologies for Production and Processing II, Materials Science Forum Vol. 870 (2016) 392-396.
[5] S.E. Krylova, E.V. Romashkov, A.V. Kuznetsov Distinctive Features of Thermal Treatment of Potential Tool Steel 70Cr3Mn2VTiB. / //
MATEC Web of Conferences Vol. 129 - 2017.