Preparation and Characterization of Spray Formed 2060 High Speed Steel

Abstract:

Spray forming has attracted considerable attention for the production of high speed steels due to its potential and priority in the microstructure refining and cost saving. In this study, high-quality large billets of 2060 high speed steel were successfully produced by spray forming process using a twin-atomizer facility. As-deposited billet was subsequently processed by hot forging, quenching in oil at 1180 °C and a triple tempering in the temperature range of 500-580 °C. The microstructures and hardness of the deposit and their subsequent development resulting from hot forging and heat treatment were investigated. This paper was designed to provide insight and have a better understanding of such a system for the steel. The results showed that the as-deposited microstructure was composed of the fine equiaxed grains with V-rich MC and W-Mo-rich M₂C carbides non-uniformly distributed along the grain boundaries and inside the grains. M₂C presented rod-like or unconnected net-shaped morphologies in the as-deposited microstructure. Following hot forging, metastable M₂C carbides were completely decomposed into refined MC and M₆C nearly spherical carbides uniformly distributed throughout the microstructure. A hardness value of 31HRC was attained for the spray deposited and hot forged samples. With increasing the tempering temperature, hardness was increased firstly and then decreased. Secondary hardening peak appeared at 540 °C for spray formed 2060 steel austenitized at 1180 °C, and the corresponding peak hardness reached 71HRC.

• Periodical: Materials Science Forum (Volume 850)
• Pages: 603-609
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.850.603
• Online since: March 2016
• Authors: Xin Lei Ni*, Zhou Li, Hua Yuan, Wen Yong Xu, Guo Qing Zhang
• Keywords: Hardness, High Speed Steel, Microstructure, Spray Forming

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