Oxidation and property evolution of AISI T5 steel under varying heat treatments
Keywords:
AISI T5; Oxidation; Heat treatment; Hardness; Nanoindentation; Abrasion
Abstract
This study evaluates the effect of heat treatment on the mechanical, tribological, and oxidation behavior of AISI T5 steel. The chemical composition was first characterized using spectroscopy and SEM. A two-year oxidation test conducted in humid and relatively dry atmospheres showed strong environmental sensitivity: in humid air, the oxidation rate reached 11.27×10-2 P/P0 per month with a sharp increase after 25 days, whereas in dry air it remained below1.35×10-2 P/P0 per month, following a linear and nearly flat trend indicative of a protective oxide scale.
Heat treatment significantly increased hardness from 34.15 ± 0.59 HRC (untreated) to 62.70 ± 0.66 and 60.80 ± 0.48 HRC for water and oil quenched steels, respectively. Impact strength decreased accordingly, with oil quenching offering the best hardness-toughness balance (60.8 HRC, 2.08 Kcv). Instrumented indentation confirmed substantial surface strengthening, with HIT rising to 17.39 ± 0.29 GPa (Q. Water) and 7.68 ± 0.12 GPa (Q. Oil). Under dry sliding, wear rates were reduced by 81.3% (Q. Water) and 62.5% (Q. Oil), with faster run-in in the water-quenched condition. XRD revealed tempered martensite with Fe3W3C/Cr7C3 (Q. Water) and Co3W3C (Q. Oil), consistent with thermal conditions. This study provides new experimental data on the effects of 15-minute austenitization followed by oil or water quenching on the properties of AISI T5 steel, highlighting its potential for process optimization.
References
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[35] M. Orečný, M. Buršák, M. Šebek, and L. Falat, “Influence of Hardness, Matrix and Carbides in Combination with Nitridation on Abrasive Wear Resistance of X210Cr12 Tool Steel,” 2016. doi: 10.3390/met6100236.
[36] Y.-W. Luo, H.-J. Guo, X.-L. Sun, J. Guo, and F. Wang, “Influence of Tempering Time on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of AISI M42 High-Speed Steel,” Metall. Mater. Trans. A, vol. 49, no. 12, pp. 5976–5986, 2018, doi: 10.1007/s11661-018-4924-5.
[2] R. A. Mesquita, Tool Steels, 1st Editio. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2016. doi: 10.1201/9781315181516.
[3] M. Seo, D. Kawamata, and M. Chiba, “Differences in Mechanical Properties of the Passive Metal Surfaces Obtained in Solution and Air,” P. Marcus and V. B. T.-P. of M. and S. Maurice and Properties of Thin Oxide Layers, Eds., Amsterdam: Elsevier Science, 2006, pp. 439–449. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-044452224-5/50069-X.
[4] T. Rubben, K. Baert, T. Depover, K. Verbeken, R. I. Revilla, and I. De Graeve, “Influence of Thermal Oxide Layers on the Hydrogen Transport through the Surface of SAE 1010 Steel,” J. Electrochem. Soc., vol. 169, no. 11, p. 111503, 2022, doi: 10.1149/1945-7111/aca182.
[5] M. J. Monteiro, S. R. J. Saunders, and F. C. Rizzo, “The Effect of Water Vapour on the Oxidation of High Speed Steel, Kinetics and Scale Adhesion,” Oxid. Met., vol. 75, no. 1, pp. 57–76, 2011, doi: 10.1007/s11085-010-9220-8.
[6] Z. Hou, R. P. Babu, P. Hedström, and J. Odqvist, “Microstructure evolution during tempering of martensitic Fe–C–Cr alloys at 700 °C,” J. Mater. Sci., vol. 53, no. 9, pp. 6939–6950, 2018, doi: 10.1007/s10853-018-2036-7.
[7] Z. Babasafari et al., “Effects of austenizing temperature, cooling rate and isothermal temperature on overall phase transformation characteristics in high carbon steel,” J. Mater. Res. Technol., vol. 9, no. 6, pp. 15286–15297, 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmrt.2020.10.071.
[8] A. Berger, S. Benito, P. Kronenberg, and S. Weber, “Impact of Thermophysical Properties of High-Alloy Tool Steels on Their Performance in Re-Purposing Applications,” 2022. doi: 10.3390/ma15238702.
[9] S. K. Saha, L. Prasad, and V. Kumar, “Experimental Investigations on Heat Treatment of Cold Work Tool Steels: Part 1, Air-Hardening Grade (D2),” Int. J. Eng. Res. Appl. www.ijera.com, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 510–519, 2012, [Online]. Available: www.ijera.com
[10] A. Bhateja, A. Varma, A. Kashyap, and B. Singh, “ Study the Effect on the Hardness of three Sample Grades of Tool Steel i . e . EN-31 , EN-8 , and D3 after Heat Treatment Processes Such As Annealing , Normalizing , and Hardening & Tempering Ashish Bhateja,” Int. J. Eng. Sci., vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 1–10, 2012.
[11] B. Jiang, M. Wu, M. Zhang, F. Zhao, Z. Zhao, and Y. Liu, “Microstructural characterization, strengthening and toughening mechanisms of a quenched and tempered steel: Effect of heat treatment parameters,” Mater. Sci. Eng. A, vol. 707, pp. 306–314, 2017, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2017.09.062.
[12] ASTM A 600-92a, “Standard Specification for Tool Steel High Speed,” Standards, no. Reapproved 2004, pp. 1–14, 2007.
[13] J. E. Bringas, Handbook of Comparative World Steel Standards, 3rd ed. In. 100 Barr Harbor Drive PO Box C700 West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959: ASTM International, 2007. doi: 10.1520/ds67c-eb.
[14] (CEN) European Committee for Standardisation, “EN 10027-1: 2005 Designation systems for steels - Part 1: Steel names,” Eur. Stand., vol. 3, pp. 1–25, 2005.
[15] B. Shirley and E. Jarochowska, “Chemical characterisation is rough: the impact of topography and measurement parameters on energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy in biominerals,” Facies, vol. 68, no. 2, p. 7, 2022, doi: 10.1007/s10347-022-00645-4.
[16] E. Lifshin and R. Gauvin, “Precision and Detection Limits for EDS Analysis in the SEM,” Micros. Today, vol. 11, no. 5, pp. 46–49, Oct. 2003, doi: 10.1017/S1551929500053256.
[17] W. E. Bryson, Heat treatment: master control manual. Carl Hanser Verlag GmbH Co KG, 2015.
[18] ISO-14577-1, “INTERNATIONAL STANDARD Metallic materials — Instrumented indentation test for hardness and,” vol. 2015, no. 915013630, 2015.
[19] P. Bruckel, P. Lamesle, P. Lours, and B. Pieraggi, “Isothermal Oxidation Behaviour of a Hot-Work Tool Steel,” Mater. Sci. Forum, vol. 461–464, pp. 831–838, 2004, doi: 10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.461-464.831.
[20] C. Lin and S. Chen, “Atmospheric Corrosion Behavior of Mild Steel in the Initial Stage under Different Relative Humidity,” Int. J. Georesources Environ., vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 33–39, 2018, doi: 10.15273/ijge.2018.02.006.
[21] J. H. Mohmmed and Z. I. Al-Hashimy, “Effect of Different Quenching Media on Microstructure, Hardness, and Wear Behavior of Steel Used in Petroleum Industries ,” J. Pet. Res. Stud., vol. 8 NO.2, no. 19, pp. 198–207, 2018, doi: https://doi.org/10.52716/jprs.v8i2.244.
[22] B. M. Qasim, T. C. Khidir, A. F. Hameed, and A. A. Abduljabbar, “Influence of heat treatment on the absorbed energy of carbon steel alloys using oil quenching and water quenching,” J. Mech. Eng. Res. Dev., vol. 41, no. 3, pp. 43–46, 2018, doi: 10.26480/jmerd.03.2018.43.46.
[23] Y. Wang, R. Wang, W. Yu, and Y. Gao, “Effect of Heat Treatment Parameters on the Modification of Nano Residual Austenite of Low-Carbon Medium-Chromium Steel.,” Nanomater. (Basel, Switzerland), vol. 13, no. 21, Oct. 2023, doi: 10.3390/nano13212829.
[24] M. A. Hafeez, A. Farooq, K. Bin Tayyab, and M. A. Arshad, “Effect of thermomechanical cyclic quenching and tempering treatments on microstructure, mechanical and electrochemical properties of AISI 1345 steel,” Int. J. Miner. Metall. Mater., vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 688–698, 2021, doi: 10.1007/s12613-020-2139-4.
[25] K. P. Shaha, Y. T. Pei, D. Martinez-Martinez, and J. T. M. De Hosson, “Influence of Surface Roughness on the Transfer Film Formation and Frictional Behavior of TiC/a-C Nanocomposite Coatings,” Tribol. Lett., vol. 41, no. 1, pp. 97–101, 2011, doi: 10.1007/s11249-010-9691-4.
[26] X. Han, Z. Zhang, G. C. Barber, S. J. Thrush, and X. Li, “Wear Resistance of Medium Carbon Steel with Different Microstructures,” 2021. doi: 10.3390/ma14082015.
[27] O. A. Zambrano, B. Iglesias-Guerrero, S. A. Rodríguez, and J. J. Coronado, “Running-in Period During Sliding Wear of Austenitic Steels,” Tribol. Lett., vol. 72, no. 3, p. 70, 2024, doi: 10.1007/s11249-024-01867-z.
[28] T. W. Scharf and I. L. Singer, “Role of the Transfer Film on the Friction and Wear of Metal Carbide Reinforced Amorphous Carbon Coatings During Run-in,” Tribol. Lett., vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 43–53, 2009, doi: 10.1007/s11249-009-9457-z.
[29] B. Wang, M. Zheng, and W. Zhang, “Analysis and Prediction of Wear Performance of Different Topography Surface,” 2020. doi: 10.3390/ma13225056.
[30] S. Sackl, G. Kellezi, H. Leitner, H. Clemens, and S. Primig, “Martensitic Transformation of a High-speed Tool Steel During Continuous Heat Treatment,” Mater. Today Proc., vol. 2, pp. S635–S638, 2015, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2015.07.364.
[31] S. M. Arif, H. N. Bar, B. K. Sahoo, C. Chaudhary, and D. Mandal, “Effect of Quench and Partitioning Treatment on Microstructure, Tensile Properties, and Low Cycle Fatigue Behavior of Low-Carbon High Strength Steel,” J. Mater. Eng. Perform., 2025, doi: 10.1007/s11665-025-10737-1.
[32] G. F. Sun, K. Wang, R. Zhou, A. X. Feng, and W. Zhang, “Effect of different heat-treatment temperatures on the laser cladded M3:2 high-speed steel,” Mater. Des., vol. 65, pp. 606–616, 2015, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2014.09.058.
[33] J. William D. Callister and D. G. RETHWISCH, “Phase Transformations in Metals,” in Materials Science and Engineering: An Introduction, SEVENTHE., Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158-0012, (212) 850-6011, fax (212) 850-6008, E-Mail: PERMREQ@WILEY.COM: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2007, ch. 10, pp. 312–356.
[34] M. Motyka, K. Kubiak, J. Sieniawski, and W. Ziaja, “2.02 - Phase Transformations and Characterization of α + β Titanium Alloys,” S. Hashmi, G. F. Batalha, C. J. Van Tyne, and B. B. T.-C. M. P. Yilbas, Eds., Oxford: Elsevier, 2014, pp. 7–36. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-096532-1.00202-8.
[35] M. Orečný, M. Buršák, M. Šebek, and L. Falat, “Influence of Hardness, Matrix and Carbides in Combination with Nitridation on Abrasive Wear Resistance of X210Cr12 Tool Steel,” 2016. doi: 10.3390/met6100236.
[36] Y.-W. Luo, H.-J. Guo, X.-L. Sun, J. Guo, and F. Wang, “Influence of Tempering Time on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of AISI M42 High-Speed Steel,” Metall. Mater. Trans. A, vol. 49, no. 12, pp. 5976–5986, 2018, doi: 10.1007/s11661-018-4924-5.
Published
2025/12/31
How to Cite
DADOU , A., DILMI , H., BEZZAZI , B., ARIBI, C., & DAOUD , I. (2025). Oxidation and property evolution of AISI T5 steel under varying heat treatments. Journal of Mining and Metallurgy, Section B: Metallurgy, 61(3), 317-332. Retrieved from https://aseestant.ceon.rs/index.php/jmm/article/view/60132
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