Influence of Hardness, Matrix and Carbides in Combination with Nitridation on Abrasive Wear Resistance of X210Cr12 Tool Steel

Abstract

Materials used in abrasive wear conditions are usually selected according to their microstructure and hardness, however, other factors such as grain size, matrix saturation, carbides size and morphology are rarely considered. Therefore, the present study deals with the influence of different heat and chemical-heat treatments including their combination on abrasive wear resistance of X210Cr12 tool steel. The effects of material hardness, carbide morphology and microstructure on wear resistance after quenching and nitriding were also investigated. One sample series was quenched after austenitization at 960 °C for 20 min and tempered at 180 °C for 2 h. The second sample series was quenched from 1060 °C austenitization for 20 min and afterwards twice tempered at 530 °C for 1 h. From both the quenched and tempered states, one half of the samples was gas nitrided in NH3 atmosphere for 3 h and then diffusion annealed in N2 atmosphere for 4 h. Abrasion wear tests were performed by sliding the samples on Al2O3 paper. The samples weight loss was considered the main criterion for the wear resistance evaluation. The microstructures, nitrided layers and worn surfaces were observed using SEM microscopy. The highest abrasion wear resistance was obtained for the nitrided samples that were previously quenched from 1060 °C and tempered at 530 °C.