Study of effects of deep cryotreatment on mechanical properties of 1.2542 tool steel

Normally, increase in strength and wear resistance of tool steels is associated with a reduced ductility. However, deep cryotreatment (DCT) may be used to simultaneously increase tensile strength and hardness and improve ductility of tool steels. In this work, effects of different DCT cycles on mechanical properties of 1.2542 tool steel have been studied. Three sets of specimens were investigated: two sets of untreated specimens, for studying the effect of some hardening parameters on the metal properties, and a third set consisting of cryotreated specimens. Soaking and tempering temperatures were kept constant at −196 °C and 200 °C, respectively. Different cryotreatment cycles were implemented by varying soaking time (24, 36 and 48 h) and tempering duration (60, 120 and 180 min). In order to ensure optimum treatment conditions, time gaps between various treatment steps were kept to minimum. Results show that two cryotreatment cycles consisting of: (i) 36 h soaking at −196 °C and 1 h tempering at 200 °C, and (ii) 48 h soaking at −196 °C and 2 h tempering at 200 °C produce the best effects in the cryotreated 1.2542 tool steel specimens, namely 32–36% increase in tensile strength, 9–12% increase in hardness, and 12–35% improvement in ductility.

► Effects of deep cryotreatment on 1.2542 steel mechanical properties were studied.
► Twelve sets of 1.2542 tool steel specimens were tested.
► Tool steel strength, hardness and ductility increased after cryotreatment.
► Increasing tempering duration or soaking time can result in maximum bulk hardness.