&iota

Pergamon

Materialia. Vol. 37. No. 2.. DD.

. . 173-177. 1997
Elsevier Science Ltd
Copyright 0 1997 Acta Metallurgica Inc.
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PII S1359-6462(97)00088-2

BEHAVIOR OF ALUMINIUM

IN M2 STEEL

Y.J. Li 1,2,Q.C. Jiang, Y.G. Zhaoand

Z.M. He

Department of Metallic Materials Science and Engineering,

Jilin University of Technology, Changchun, 130025, P. R. China
Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, P. R. China.
(Received July 4, 1996)
(Accepted December 8, 1996)
Introduction

In past decades, many attempts have been made to add aluminium to high speed steel in order to
improve the red hardness, cutting performance and using life of high speed steel or replace tungsten in
low alloy high speed steel. Up to 1.5 wt.% Al has been added into low alloy high speed steels by
Mitsche [ 1,2]. It was observed that 0.5 wt.% Al had the same influence on cutting property as 1.3 wt.%
of W in the same steel. Prosvirins investigation [3] shows that additions of aluminium with nitrogen
can also replace some tungsten in high speed steels, still maintaining good cutting performance. Many
types of high performance high speed steels containing about 1.0 wt.% aluminium have been
developed in China, for example, W6Mo5Cr4V2AI, W9Mo3Cr4VA1, and WlSCr4VA1, which,
reportedly [4,5] have higher cutting performance and longer service life than W6Mo5Cr4V2,
W9Mo3Cr4V and WlSCr4V, respectively. Many researchers [5-71 have investigated the effect of
aluminium on mechanical properties of high speed steel and attempted to explain the mechanism. In
general, aluminium has the following effects: increasing the hardness, red hardness, temper resistance,
temperature of AC, Ar, and MS; improving the hot plasticity of high speed steels; and increasing the
tendency of clecarbonization of high speed steels. Xu [6] has analyzed the behavior of aluminium in
high speed steels and proposed that aluminium increases the activity and diffusion coefficient of
carbon in austenite. However, it decreases the diffusion coefficient of W, MO, Cr, and V in austenite
and in ferrite. With this theory, most of the above effects of aluminium on high speed steels can be
explained satisfactorily, but experimental confirmation is still lacking. Furthermore, the behavior of
aluminium during solidification of high speed steels and its effect on the as-cast microstructures have
scarcely been investigated. The purpose of this paper is to throw some light on this aspect.
Experimental

Unmodified <alloy (M2) was prepared by a non-oxidation process with a 5 Kg medium frequency
furnace, and Imodified alloy (M2-Al) was made by adding aluminum into the liquid unmodified alloy at
1560C. Samples of dimensions 12mm x 12mm x 55mm were cast in sand moulds. The samples were
then annealed at 9OOC and 1lOOC respectively, for 3 hours, and cooled slowly to room temperature
(25C) in the furnace. The annealed samples were hardened as follows: heating at 1225C for 5
173

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Vol. 37, No. 2

Figure 1. As-cast microstructures of (a) M2 and (b) M2-AI.

minutes and quenching in a salt bath, then tempering at 56OC three times, for 1 h each time. The
microstructures were examined by light optical and scanning electron microanalysis (SEM), while
their phase identification and chemical compositions were analyzed respectively by X-ray diffraction
(XRD) and electron probe micro analysis (EPMA). The composition of the unmodified alloy (M2) by
chemical analysis is 0.87 C, 5.58 W, 4.5 1 MO, 3.90 Cr, and I .73 V, in wt.%. The content of aluminium
in M2-Al is 1.03, in wt.%.
Results and Discussion
The as-cast microstructures of M2 and M2-Al are shown in Fig. 1. Lamellar eutectic carbides are
observed around grain boundaries for both cases. The chemical composition of the lamellar eutectic
carbide of M2-Al revealed by EDX analysis is 38.11 W, 27.22 MO, 6.78 Cr, 10.80 V, 15.43 Fe, and
0.74 Al, in wt.%. The lamellar eutectic carbide is MKZ.The amount of eutectic carbide in M2 and M2Al is 15.8% and 17.3%, in area fraction, respectively. There are also some tine carbides distributed in
the core of the grains in M2-AI, as shown in Fig. 1b, which can not be found in M2. These fine carbide
is believed to be M& formed by eutectoid reaction.
The electron probe analysis shows that the distribution of aluminium takes the form of negative
segregation, the average content of aluminium in the matrix (1.38 wt.%) is far higher than that on the
grain boundary or in the eutectic carbides (0.74 wt.%), even though, there is really some ahuninium in
M& carbide. The X-ray diffraction patterns of as-cast M2 and M2-Al are shown in Fig. 2. The types of
the eutectic carbides have not been changed in M2-Al, but by the entering of aluminium into MK
carbide, the dift?action intensity of (110) peak of MK has been intensified. This result may suggest
that the lattice structure of M& has been changed to some extent.
Since ahtminium reduces the austenite zone in Fe-Al system [g], the delta-ferrite region may
become broad in M2-Al. The volume fraction of delta-ferrite in solidification microstructures is thus
increased. The equbrilium partition coefficient of carbon in the Fe-C system is 0.36 [9] between
austenite and liquid, and is 0.06 [lo] between delta ferrite and liquid. So the segregation of carbon in
liquid phase is aggravated with the increase of the volume fraction of delta ferrite. Furthermore,
aluminium is the element enhancing the graphitization in cast iron, and it has the effect of decreasing
the solubility of carbon in austenite of cast iron [I 11. Thus, the solubility of carbon in austenite is

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BEHAVIOR OF ALUMINUM

175

(b)

.L.L
(a)

28,

deg

Figure 2. XRD patternsof as-cast (a) h42 and (b) M2-Al.

decreased. Also, the volume fraction of eutectic carbide, which, for the segregation of carbon and alloy
elements in the liquid is formed at the end of the solidification process, is increased by the addition of
aluminium. As shown in Fig. 2, the diffraction intensity of residual austenite in M2-Al is lower than in
the M2 sampk, since the stability of austenite is decreased by the decrease of the solubility of carbon
in austenite.
During solklification of high speed steel, austenite forms, surrounding delta ferrite, and grows by
consuming it by a peritectic reaction. Because the volume fraction of ferrite in M2-Al is increased, the
delta ferrite phase may not be totally consumed by austenite. The residual delta ferrite decomposes into
austenite and eutectoid carbide during the consequent cooling process by eutectoid reaction. In the
Fe-Al system., the maximum solubility of aluminium in ferrite and in austenite is respectively, 36

Figure 3. SEM micrographof eutectic carbidein M-AI after 3h annealing at llOOC.

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Vol. 37, No. 2

TABLE 1
X-ray Diffraction Data of a-Fe in M2 and M2-AI
Samples

Heat treatment

d-Lattw

spacmg

(nm)

(110)

(200)

(211)

(220)

M2

As cast

02043

0.1447

0.1178

0 1019~

M2-AI

As cast

0.2036

0.1441

0 II75

0 1017

M2

As annealed

(9OOC)

0.2040

0.1446

0 II76

0.1018

M2-Al

As annealed

(9OOc

0.2033

0.1441

0.1173

0.1016

M2

As

quenched

and tempered

0.2045

0.1449

0.1179

0.1020

M2-AI

As

quenched

and tempered

02049

0.1451

0 II80

0.1021

wt.O% and 0.625 wt.% [9,12], so the concentration of aluminium in the core of the dendrite is higher
than that on the grain boundaries and on the eutectic carbides.
Because the diameter of the as cast specimens is small and the cooling rate of the castings is high,
the as-cast matrix of the samples is composed of martensite and some residual austenite. The X-ray
diffraction patterns of as-cast M2 and M2-Al are shown in Fig. 3. It can be observed, interestingly, that
the diffraction peaks of a-ferrite of M2-Al have moved to the right side that of M2. This confirms that
the solubility of carbon in austenite is decreased due to the addition of aluminium.
As a metastable phase, M2C decomposes into M& and MC for the reaction M2C + y = M& + MC at
high temperature. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that after 900C annealing most M2C carbides in
M2-Al have been transformed into ML and MC, while few M2C has been transformed in M2 samples.
This result indicates that the stability of MK is decreased by the addition of aluminium. The network
eutectic in M2-Al can be easily broken and granulated by hot working, and therefore the forgeability of
M2 steel is improved by the addition of aluminium. The morphology of the carbide in M2-Al after
1IOOC annealing is shown in Fig. 3. The lamellar eutectic carbide has been changed into skeletal
carbide and a large quantity of granular fine carbides have formed in the matrix. This indicates that
ahuninium has the effect of increasing the activity and the diffision coefficient of carbon in austenite
[6]. During the annealing, carbon precipitates from the supersaturated austenite and forms dispersed
tine carbide as the samples are cooled slowly from the high temperature. The increase of activity and
diffusion coefficient of carbon in austenite may enhance the forming and coarsing of the fine carbides.

Figure 4. The morphology of carbide in the as hardened steel (a) M2 and (b) M2-AI.

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177

The lattice d-spacing (see Table 1) of as annealed a-Fe of M2-Al is smaller than that of M2 due to the
decrease of the solubility of carbon in austenite.
Fig. 4 shows the morphology of the carbide in as quenched and tempered samples M2 and M2-Al.
The volume fraction of eutectic carbide in M2-Al is lower than in M2 sample, while the X-ray
diffraction date for martensite of as quenched and tempered M2-Al is higher than that of M2, as shown
in Table 1. Thiis may be owing to the increase of the diffusion coefficient of carbon in austenite and the
decrease of the stability of MIC carbide by the addition of aluminium. These factors enhance the
dissolving of carbon into austenite when the samples are austenized and increase the solubility of
carbon in martensite. As a result, the hardness of M2 is increased by the addition of aluminium, and
the hardness in HRC for M2 and M2-Al is respectively 64.8 and 66.0.
Conclusions

1) The distribution of aluminium takes the form of negative segregation in M2 high speed steel. The
effect of aluminum is to decrease the solubility of carbon in austenite and therefore increase the
volume fraction of eutectic carbide in the solidification structures of M2 steel.
2) Aluminium forms MIC carbide in M2 steel, and changes the lattice structure of MzC in some
extent, which results in a decrease in the stability of M2C. M2C in M2-Al can be transformed into
M& and :MC by annealing 3h at 9OOC.
3) During heat treatment, ahnninium has the effect of increasing the diffusion coefficient and activity
of carbon in austenite and decreasing the solubility of carbon in austenite and in as-annealed
ferrite. However, aluminium increases the solubility of carbon in martensite as conventionally
hardened.
AcknowledPments
This work has been supported in part by Natural Science Foundation of China (No 59371034).
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