Influence of Tool Steel Hard Phase Orientation and Shape on Galling

Abstract

Conventionally manufactured cold work tool steel is often used in sheet metal forming as die material. Due to the forging process, the as-cast network structure of carbides is broken into elongated particles. Depending on the tool cross-section, the orientation and shape of carbides in the active tool surface is different. In the present research, the influence of tool steel hard phase orientation and shape on galling was investigated. D2 type tool steel was cut in three different orientations and tested in lubricated sliding conditions against AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel. Tests were performed using a Slider-On-Flat-Surface and galling was detected by changes in friction and post-test microscopy. The lubricant was Castrol FST8 using 5 g/m2 sheet material. Results showed a strong correlation between sliding distance to galling and tool steel hard phase orientation and shape at low loads, whereas high load contact resulted in early galling in all cases. Material transfer was observed mainly to the tool steel matrix. The worst performance was observed for specimens cut so that the tool steel hard phase, M7C3 carbides in the D2 steel, were oriented along the sliding direction, which resulted in longer open tool matrix areas contacting the sheet material.