Effect of Cryogenic Treatment on AISI H11 and AISI H13 Tool Steels: A Comparative Study

AISI H11 and AISI H13 tool steel materials have significant contribution in manufacturing especially die industry. During mechanical operations these materials need to experience severe stresses which might result in premature failure. Deep cryogenic treatment (DCT) is an advanced treatment implemented on tool steels to enhance their mechanical and tribological properties. This article presents a comparative study on the effects of DCT carried out at −185 °C on AISI H11 and AISI H13 tool steels post their conventional heat treatment process. Hardness and wear rate are evaluated, which indicate an average of 11% increase in hardness and average 27% decrease in wear volume for these two materials post cryogenic treatment. Results after testing and microstructural analysis indicate that AISI H13, with its higher vanadium content, exhibits superior enhancement in all properties post‐treatment, which can be attributed to the transformation of retained austenite to martensite and the precipitation of fine carbides.