A study on the microstructure and mechanical properties of AISI D2 tool steel modified by niobium

The microstructure and mechanical properties of AISI D2 tool steel with up to 1.5 wt% niobium additions were investigated. The microstructural evolutions were characterized by means of optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy techniques. Mechanical properties of the samples were measured using tensile testing, hardness measurements and Charpy impact test. The results indicated that modification of the microstructure was effectively achieved through the addition of 1.5 wt% of niobium, which refined the prior-austenite grains and decreased the volume fraction of eutectic carbides. Also, the eutectic carbide network tended to break thereby forming blocky and ribbon-like morphologies in the eutectic structures. The ductility and impact toughness of the niobium-contained steels were increased considerably and reached to about 5.8% and 15 J/cm2, respectively. Generally, the results of this study suggest that niobium can be used as an alloying element to significantly enhance the ductility and impact toughness of D2 tool steel without affecting the hardness.