The toughness of a cast hot-work tool steel

Abstract

The mechanical and technological properties of cast hot-work tool steels need to be fully exploited, since cast-to-form tools are increasingly utilized in many sectors of the forming industry. In the present research work, the fracture toughness of a cast H 11 hot-work tool steel is evaluated, using fracture mechanics and impact tests, on specimens machined from cast-to-form dies selected to represent different microstructural conditions. The results of the mechanical and toughness tests are compared with corresponding properties of wrought H 11 steel, and interpreted in terms of the microstructural characteristics of the cast steel.