Effect of initial martensite and tempered carbide on mechanical properties of 3Cr2MnNiMo mold steel

Effect of initial martensite and tempered carbide characteristics on mechanical properties of 3Cr2MnNiMo mold steel were investigated. The results indicated that the initial martensite microstructure can be effectively adjusted by changing the quenching temperature. With the increase of quenching temperature from 760 ?C to 1010 ?C, the initial microstructure gradually changed from acicular ferrite + plate martensite + M7C3 carbides to lath martensite, and the grain size increased monotonically. The coarsening of the initial martensite led to the increase of tempered carbide size, and the morphology of tempered carbide gradually changed from spherical to long strip-shaped. The large-size and long strip-shaped carbides promoted the formation of micro-voids during the tensile deformation and significantly decreased the elongation. In addition, with the coarsening of the martensite microstructure, both the decrease of high-angle grain boundaries (HAGB) density and the appearance of long strip-shaped tempered carbides significantly reduced the impact absorbed energy. The fracture mechanism transformed from ductile fracture caused by micro-voids coalescence to intergranular cleavage fracture. Moreover, when the initial microstructure completely transformed into lath martensite, the yield and tensile strength remained approximately unchanged. The precipitation strengthening compensated the adverse effect of martensite coarsening.

Automated summary

The mechanical properties of 3Cr2MnNiMo mold steel are significantly affected by the initial martensite and tempered carbide characteristics. Changes in temperature result in variations in the initial microstructure and grain size, affecting tensile properties and impact absorbed energy.