Influence of carbide particle size on the wear performance of cryogenically treated H13 die steel

Cryogenic treatment could be useful in preventing AISI H13 steel forging dies from the premature failure that is continuously under the action of mechanical stresses and temperature. This work involves heating H13 steel specimens to 1020 degrees C, quenching in oil followed by double tempering at 520 degrees C for 2 h subsequently undergoing cryogenic treatment at minus185 degrees C for cryosoaking periods starting from 8 to 32 h. Dry sliding wear tests were performed at room temperature on pin-on-disc wear testing machine at 40 N load, 3 m s(-1) speed and 6000 m sliding distance. The hardness, carbide density, particle size measurements, and microstructural analysis were carried out. It has been established that reduced carbide particle size due to cryogenic treatment assists in minimizing material flow which was corroborated by decrease in the wear coefficient for H13 steel by 51% as compared to conventional treatment. This outcome was supported by the application of the equation of phase transformation.