Transverse Rupture Strength of M3:2 High Speed Steel Produced through Conventional Casting and Powder Metallurgy Techniques

Abstract

The main aim of this work is to study the influence of the heat treatment on the transverse rupture strength of three M3:2 high speed steel obtained by differents techniques. PM Sinter 23 obtained by hot isostatic pressing (HIP) of gas atomized powders, a vacuum sintered high speed steel obtained by uniaxial cold compaction and liquid phase sintering of M3:2 water atomized powders and a conventional (cast to ingot and hot work) VWM3C were submitted to hardening in order to determine the influence of this treatment on the transverse rupture strength. The two PM high speed steels and the conventional one were submitted to heat treatment of hardening with austenitizing temperatures of 1140, 1160, 1180 and 1200 °C and tempering at 540 and 560 °C. The effectiveness of the heat treatment was determined by hardness tests (Rockwell C hardness). The microstructure was evaluated by scanning eletronic microscopy (SEM). At least five samples of these three high speed steels were manufactured, austenitized, quenched and tempered as described above and fractured in three point bending tests in order to evaluate the influence of this treatment on the transverse rupture strength (TRS).