Effect of deep cryogenic treatment on the carbide precipitation and tribological behavior of D2 steel

The influence of deep cryogenic processing in between quenching and tempering ( QCT) on the carbide precipitation and the tribological behavior of a commercial AISI D2 steel has been examined. The developed microstructures have been characterized with an emphasis to understand the influence of QCT vis-a-vis conventional quenching and tempering ( QT) on the nature, size, morphology, and distribution of carbide particles. The mechanical properties such as hardness and wear resistance of the samples treated by QT and QCT have been evaluated employing Vickers indentation and sliding wear techniques, respectively. It has been demonstrated that deep cryogenic treatment leads to considerable microstructural changes which result in enhanced tribological properties.