Microstructural changes in heat treatment of PM high-speed steels

Properly performed heat treatment can significantly affect final properties of high-speed steels, so the heat treatment parameters are chosen depending on the specific properties of the particular tool. Deep cryogenic treatment is carried out at a temperature of -196 °C (liquid nitrogen). By combining deep cryogenic treatments and various austenitization temperatures, which affects the volume of retained austenite, it is possible to affect the hardness and fracture toughness of tools and other steel parts. However, it may also affect the increase in wear resistance regardless of the increase in hardness. In addition, dimensional stability is achieved by transformation of residual austenite into martensite, eliminating the change in volume by 4%. This paper investigated the effect of deep cryogenic treatment on microstructures in high-speed steel produced by powder metallurgy in comparison to vacuum heat treatment