Experimental Characterisation of Service-Degraded H13 Tool Steel and Numerical Assessment of Die Plasticity Risk in Hot Forging of Nickel-Based Superalloys

Hot forging of nickel-based superalloys involves severe thermo-mechanical loading of the forming dies due to the high strength of these materials, even at elevated temperatures. Under industrial production conditions, forging dies are subjected to repeated heating-cooling cycles, which progressively degrade the mechanical properties of the tool steel and increase the risk of die plastic deformation. Reliable assessment of die performance therefore requires material characterisation that accounts for both temperature effects and service-induced degradation. In this work, an H13 tool steel used in an industrial hot forging application (nickel-based superalloy case study), was experimentally and numerically investigated in both its raw and service-degraded conditions. Hardness measurements, microstructural analysis, uniaxial compression tests, and quasi-static tensile tests were carried out from room temperature up to 600 °C. An artificial degrading heat treatment was applied to reproduce the mechanical state of the most degraded die regions, and the resulting data were used to quantify the temperature-dependent reduction in yield strength with service exposure. Finite element simulations of the industrial forging process were then carried out using deformable dies to evaluate temperature evolution and stress levels in critical die regions. The risk of die plastification was assessed by comparing simulated von Mises stresses with the experimentally determined temperature-dependent yield strengths for the raw and degraded conditions. The results show a significant reduction in yield strength due to both increasing temperature and service-induced degradation, leading to a substantially higher risk of die plastic deformation under production conditions. The study underlines the importance of incorporating degraded material properties into tool design and process assessment, and motivates improved cooling systems to enhance tool life and process stability.

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Periodical:

Materials Science Forum (Volume 1186)

Pages:

73-84

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4028/p-C6AnYu

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Online since:

April 2026

Authors:

Julen Agirre*, Unai Ibarretxe, David Abedul, Nagore Otegi, Lander Galdos

Keywords:

Die Plasticity Risk, Hot Forging, Nickel-Based Superalloys, Thermal Degradation

Funder:

The publication of this article was funded by the Mondragon Goi Eskola Politeknikoa, J.M.A. S.Coop

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* - Corresponding Author

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