Tool and Die Materials
Table 13.5 Mechanical properties of quenched and tempered carbon and alloy steels.
179
1040
1060
1080
4340
6150 1875
1469 965
1931 1434
945 Tempering
temperature
1675 10
520 1365855
10 430
19 280
1689 8
538 1331
10 420
84 1 17
282 205
425 625
205 425
650
205 425
650
205 425
650
205 425
650 779
758 634
593 552
434
1076 800
524 23
229 1310
1289 889
979 95 1
600 12
13 21
388 375
255
Table 13.5 gives typical mechanical properties of selected carbon and alloy steels in quenched and
tempered condition.
Applications of Carbon and Alloy Steels
Characteristic and typical applications of various carbon and alloy steels are given in Table 13.6.
13.3 TOOL AND DIE STEELS
Tool and die steels are specially alloyed steels that are designed for high strength, impact toughness, and
wear resistance. They are commonly used in the forming and machining of metals at both room and ele- vated temperatures.
The steel for most types of tool and dies must be in a heat-treated state, generally hardened and tem-
pered, to provide the properties needed for the particular application. Thus, tool and die steels must be able to withstand heat treatment with a minimum of harmful effects, dependably resulting in the intended ben-
eficial changes in material properties.
13.3.1 Designation and Classification of Tool and Die Steels
The designation and classification system established by and SAE for tool and die steels has seven
basic categories. These categories are associated with the predominant application characteristics of the
180
Tool and Die Materials
Table
13.6
Typical applications and characteristics of various carbon and alloy steels.
Condition TYPE
1117 1020 1030 4320
8620 93 IO
Low-carbon Carburizing Grades
Soft
Carburized HB
Medium-carbon Direct Hardening
Hot work Cold work
High-carbon Direct hardening
to H19 Chromium base
H20 to H39 Tungsten base
H40 to H59 Molybdenum base
D High carbon, high chromium
A Medium alloy, air hardening
52100 1080
1095
Mold steels Mold steels
Water hardening PI to P19
Low carbon P20 to P39
Others L
Low alloy F
Carbon tungsten W
Hardened and tempered
Typical applications Poor abrasion resistance and metal-to-metal
wear resistance do not hold a cutting edge
or sustain high loads. They provide satisfactory
service life as pins, guides, shafts, etc. Excellent metal-to-metal wear resistance.
Suitable for guide posts and guide rails Same
as low carbon. Widely used for parts requiring good strength and toughness:
The low stress abrasion and metal-to-metal wear resistance are better than with soft low- and
medium -carbon steels. 1080 strip at 450 HB
can be used for Rule dies. 52100 at 655
-
680 HB is standard steel for
rolling elements. It also has suitable wear properties for short-run dies. 1080 and 1095
steels in strip are widely used for flat springs.
tool and die steel types they comprise. A few of these categories are composed of several groups to dis- tinguish between families of steel types that, while serving the same general purpose, differ with regard to
one or more dominant characteristics. In Table 13.7 are given the basic types of tool and die steels.
Table 13.7 Basic types of tool and die steels.
TYPE
I
BASE CATEGORIES
High speed Molybdenum base
Tungsten base
Tool and Die Materials
181
D7 0 1
0 2 0 6
13.3.2 Cold Work Tool and Die Steels
Cold work steels A, D, and 0 steels are used for cold working operations as well as for sheet-metal form-
ing operations, and they are described in more detail in this section. They generally have high resistance to wear and cracking. These steels are available as oil-hardening or air-hardening types.
Major alloying elements. Typical analysis results of alloying elements for these types of steels are given in Table
13.8.
2.35 0.40
12.50 1
.oo
4.00 0.40
0.90 1.25
0.50 0.2s
0.2s 0.50
0.90 1.60
0.25 0.30
0.20 0.2s
1.4s 0.2s
0.50 0.25
0.2s 1
Table 13.8 Typical alloying elements for cold work tool and die steels.
Machinability Rating
Approximate Hardness
Characteristics and applications. Machinability and typical applications of common die steels are given in Table 13.9.
Table 13.9 Typical applications of common tool and die steels.
A2
A6
A8
A9
A2
57 to 62
57 to 60
70 56 to 59
65 to
Characteristics and Applications Good combination of wear resistance and toughness,
good size stability in heat treatment, good hardenability
. Typical applications involve blanking and forming
dies, punches, and forming rolls. Air hardening from low temperature, excellent size
stability in heat treatment, deep hardening. Typical applications involve blanking and forming
dies, punches, coining and bending dies and plastics molds.
Optimum combinations of wear resistance and toughness, superior size stability, suitable for highly
abrasive hot work requirements. Applications include shear blades, trim dies, forging
dies, and plastics molds.
Medium resistance to decarburization and to wear. Solid cold heading dies, die inserts, coining des,
forming dies, punches, and rolls.
182 Tool
and
Die
Materials
Table 13.9 continued
D2
D3
D5
0 1
0 2
0 6 50
35
50
90
fairly
125
57 to 62
57 to 64
59 to 63
59 to 61
57 to 61
45 to 63 Very high wear resistance. Excellent size stability, deep
hardening in air. Typical applications include
dies, drawing dies, shear blades, forming rolls, and trim dies.
Excellent abrasion resistance, very high compressive strength, high hardening response.
Typical applications include blanking dies, drawing dies, shear blades, forming rolls, punches, and cold
trimming dies
Very high wear resistance, optimum size stability, and superior resistance to tempering.
Applications include blanking dies, shear blades, forming rolls, hot and cold punches, swaging dies, and
cold trimming dies.
Moderate wear resistance, relatively safe to harden, easy
to machine. Common applications include blanking and forming
dies, bending and drawing dies, plastics molds, and shear blades.
Fairly good wear resistance, relatively safe to harden, fairly easy to machine.
General-purpose tooling with a combination of wear resistance and moderate toughness.
Excellent machinability, outstanding resistance to wear and galling, easy hardening.
Typical applications are gages, punches, cold forming, blanking, and trimming dies, bushings, and other
machine tool parts.
13.4
NONFERROUS
METALS
Many nonferrous metals are used in tool and die, jig, and fixture design. Such materials include alloys of aluminum, magnesium, brass, bronze, zinc-base alloys, and beryllium. Although more expensive than fer-
rous metals, nonferrous metals and alloys have important applications because of their numerous positive characteristics, such as low density, corrosion resistance, ease of fabrication, and color choices.
Aluminum alloys. The most important factors in selecting aluminum alloys for use in tool and die
design are their high strength-to-weight ratio, ease of machinability, resistance to corrosion by many chem- icals, and nonmagnetic properties.
Aluminum alloys of series 2024 and 7075 are two of the more widely used alloys for temporary dies,
limited production runs, fixture bodies, or other special purposes.
Copper alloys. Copper alloys are often attractive for applications where a combination of desirable
properties, such as strength, corrosion resistance, thermal conductivity, wear resistance, and lack of