Effects of Rare Earth Elements (Ce, Y) on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of P20 Die Steel

Electroslag remelting P20 die steels with different amount of CeO2 or Y2O3 additions have been investigated by using mechanical tests and scanning electronic microscope with energy dispersive spectrometry. The microstructure of P20 die steels is tempered martensite, in which plenty of carbides precipitate along the martensite laths. With addition of rare earth Ce or Y, the matrix microstructure is refined, the quantity of carbides is decreased, and the distribution of carbides becomes more uniform. As a result of these microstructural changes, both the impact energy and tensile strength increase with increasing rare earth content. The samples obtain optimum microstructure and mechanical properties when the amount of CeO2 or Y2O3 additions reach 4 wt.%. However, over-added CeO2 or Y2O3 (>4 wt.%) results in the increase of carbides quantity and the aggregation of carbides, which reduces the impact energy and tensile strength of the samples. Present study indicates that the optimum addition of CeO2 and Y2O3 for the P20 die steels is 4 wt.%.

Surface modification of die steels with B—Al-layers by thermal-chemical treatment

The effect of diffusion high-temperature boroaluminizing (HBA) on the mechanical properties and quality parameters of the surface layer of stamp steels 5KhNM and 3Kh2V8F is shown. An analysis of the microstructure and composition of diffusion composite layers obtained as a result of thermal-chemical treatment (TCT) is presented and the distribution of microhardness in these layers is studied depending on the formed borides and carbides. The influence of processing temperature modes of on the parameters of roughness was experimentally established and the wear resistance characteristics of the processed surfaces of the investigated materials were determined.

Effects of Rare Earth Elements on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of H13 Die Steel

The effects of rare earth (RE) elements on the carbide distribution, transformation temperature, and mechanical properties of H13 die steels after annealing were systematically investigated by scanning electron microscopy, electron probe microanalysis, and transmission electron microscopy. The results indicated that the addition of RE elements is helpful in increasing the fraction of the disrupted M23C6 carbide along the grain boundaries, hindering the migration of grain boundaries and improving the crack-formation and expansion resistance of the carbides in the tensile process. With the addition of RE, the Ac3 temperature increased by 11.4 °C and the diffusion of carbon atoms was pinned during the austenitizing process. Moreover, the carbides were modified by rare earth elements, and RE-inclusion promoted the transition of brittle-type failure to ductile-type failure. Therefore, the impact energy, hardness, and ultimate tensile strength improved significantly in the RE-modified H13 die steels.