Tool steel

Their suitability comes from their distinctive hardness, resistance to abrasion and deformation, and their ability to hold a cutting edge at elevated temperatures.

As a result, tool steels are suited for use in the shaping of other materials, as for example in cutting, machining, stamping, or forging.

The four major alloying elements that form carbides in tool steel are: tungsten, chromium, vanadium and molybdenum.

There are six groups of tool steels: water-hardening, cold-work, shock-resistant, high-speed, hot-work, and special purpose.

Its hardenability is low, so W-group tool steels must be subjected to a rapid quenching, requiring the use of water.

These alloys increase the steels' hardenability, and thus require a less severe quenching process and as a result are less likely to crack.

Modern air-hardening steels are characterized by low distortion during heat treatment because of their high-chromium content.

[11] The D series of the cold-work class of tool steels, which originally included types D2, D3, D6, and D7, contains between 10% and 13% chromium (which is unusually high).

Shock-resisting group tool steels (S) are designed to resist shock at both low and high temperatures.

H-group tool steels were developed for strength and hardness during prolonged exposure to elevated temperatures.

These tool steels are low carbon and moderate to high alloy that provide good hot hardness and toughness and fair wear resistance due to a substantial amount of carbide.