Abstract
AISI H13 die steel specimens were subjected to heating at 1020 °C followed by oil quenching and double tempering at 520 °C. Subsequently, these specimens were subjected to deep cryogenic treatment at −185 °C in liquid nitrogen environment for 16 h and then subjected to soft tempering at 100 °C once the specimens attained room temperature. Thereafter, the specimens were subjected to scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis. The electrochemical corrosion activity was investigated in 3.5% NaCl at 23 ± 0.5 °C by evaluating the evolution of open circuit potential over time and potentiodynamic curves, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy study was also carried out. The heat-treated specimens exhibited better resistance to corrosion through more electropositive values of open circuit potential. This could be attributed to lower grain boundary area in heat-treated specimens as compared to 16 h cryogenically treated specimen as higher grain boundary areas behave as an anode in an electrochemical cell, thereby enhancing the rate of corrosion. According to electrochemical tests, the cryogenically treated surface is more resistant to corrosion, followed by heated alloy. However, both surface modification treatments improved the corrosion behavior of the untreated alloy.
Highlights
The tool steels are widely used in hot working industries including forging and extrusion
The current research work was aimed at investigating the corrosion behavior of cryogenically treated AISI H13 die steel
The deep cryogenic treatment is beneficial in improving the corrosion resistance of AISI H13 material and could be useful in applications involving high mechanical stress and a corrosive environment
Summary
The tool steels are widely used in hot working industries including forging and extrusion. AISI H13 hot work die steel is one of the most important materials belonging to this category. The corrosion damage of H13 die steel has been reported in the case of applications involving the manufacturing of dies for aluminum cans [5]. Since these materials are subjected to heat and mechanical stresses, their corrosion behavior needs to be studied in order to investigate their response towards changing conditions, as well as to report any possible degradation in their properties during service
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