Abstract
The influence of quenching and tempering heat treatments on the microstructure and wear behavior of AISI H13 tool steel was investigated. The austenitization was carried out at 1050 °C. After austenitization, oil quenching, single tempering, and sequential double tempering treatments were carried out. The microstructure, hardness, and wear behavior of the samples were studied. Three different types of carbide particles, M₂₃C₆, MC, and M₇C₃, were determined in the microstructure. The sample, subjected to quenching, gave the highest hardness value. The double tempering process caused secondary hardening. After the abrasive wear tests, the greatest volume loss was observed in the as-received sample. With quenching and tempering heat treatments, the wear resistance of H13 steel increased significantly. The lowest volume loss among the applied heat treatments was obtained by quenching + double tempering.

Key words
AISI H13, tool steel, wear, heat treatment, microstructure

Full text (1821 KB)