Effect of Different Tempering Stages and Temperatures on Microstructure, Tenacity and Hardness of Vacuum Sintered HSS AISI T15

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of the stages and tempering temperatures in the microstructure, tenacity and hardness of the vacuum sintered high speed steel AISI T15. The material was uniaxial pressing at 700 MPa and sintered in a vacuum furnace at 1275ºC. After that, different samples of the materials were submitted to the annealing treatment at 870ºC, quenching at 1235ºC and tempering (single, double and triple) at 540, 550 and 560ºC. Concluded the treatments, Rockwell C measurements of hardness were accomplished and, to evaluate the toughness of the material, TRS (Transverse Rupture Strength) tests were done. Later on, the materials were submitted to the metallographic preparation for microstructure analysis in optical microscopy, SEM, EDX and X-ray diffraction. Finally, each property analyzed was evaluated and correlated with the different tempering stages and temperatures accomplished.