Effect of copper addition on mechanical properties of 4Cr16Mo

Experiments conducted to determine the effect of copper addition on the machinabil-ity of plastic mold steel, 4Cr16Mo, were presented. The machinability of mold steel 4Cr16Mo was visibly improved by adding Cu. The top wear of 4Cr16Mo with copper was less than that without copper. The Cu-rich phase had the effect of a lubricant and the heat conductivity, which reduced cutting-tool wear, improved machinability. and increased the service life of the cutting-tool. Increasing of copper addition decreased the hot-working character of 4Cr16Mo. The optimal hot-working parameters for 4Cr16Mo with copper were determined by the tensile test and the compression test. The rate of deformation should be adopted as 0.6 s-1. The heating-up temperature, initial forging temperature, and terminal forging temperature were 1200° C, 1150° C. and 950° C, respectively.