Effects of deep cryogenic treatment on mechanical and tribological properties of AISI D3 tool steel

Abstract

In this study, the effects of deep cryogenic treatment (DCT) on the mechanical and tribological properties of AISI D3 tool steel were investigated together with a systematic correlation between their hardness and wear resistance. It was found that conventionally heat treated AISI D3 tool steel samples were significantly hardened via an additional DCT, which was attributed to the more retained austenite elimination, more homogenized carbide distribution and more reduction in carbide size in the samples. As a result, the hardened AISI D3 samples exhibited reductions in their friction and wear during rubbing against alumina and 100Cr6 steel balls under different normal loads due to the effectively hindered removal of surface materials. The results clearly showed that the DCT was an effective way to improve the mechanical and tribological properties of the AISI D3 tool steel samples as the tribological performance of the tool steel samples was significantly influenced by their hardness.