Effect of heating temperature during semi-solid processing on structure of X210CR12 steel

Abstract

Semi-solid processing is an unconventional technique, which can be used to produce intricate components by forming and also to remove the sharp-edged carbides. However, the resulting microstructure after semi-solid processing consists of polyhedral austenite grains and lamellar ledeburite network. The network can be fragmented by applying an appropriate deformation sequence during cooling. X210Cr12 tool was experimentally processed by a combination of semi-solid processing and subsequent thermomechanical treatment. The heating temperature was varied from 1200°C to 1280°C. The obtained microstructures consisted of recrystallized grains of the M-A constituent and fine chromium precipitates without sharp-edged carbides with hardness higher than 800 HV10.