The Effect of Long-Time Austenization on the Wear Resistance and Thermal Fatigue Properties of a High-Speed Steel Roll

The effects of a long-time austenization treatment on a high-speed steel (HSS) roll have been investigated. Several interesting phenomena were observed, including the decomposition of the primary bulky M3C carbides on grain boundaries and the precipitation of a large number of MC carbides of size comparable to the primary MC carbides in the grains. As a consequence of these changes, the overall carbide size decreased and the homogeneity of the carbide distribution increased. The wear resistance and thermal fatigue properties of the HSS roll were also investigated, and it was found that the long-time austenization treatment resulted in improvements to both properties.