Study of complex carbides obtained after solidification and thermal treatment in High Speed Steels

High-speed steels (HSS) rolls are used in front finishing stands of hot strip mills. Good wear resistance and hardness at high temperature are defining characteristics of HSS. Many carbides are present in these alloys, each having different effects upon the final properties of HSS. As a result, the nature, the morphology and the amount of these carbides are factors of important concern. Optical microscopy combined with electron microscopy lead to quicker identification and characterization of HSS carbides