HEAT TREATING AND CRYOGENIC PROCESSING OF TOOL STEEL

Allowing steel heated to its austenitizing temperature to cool slowly to room temperature would
turn it into ferrite .Quenching it at the martensitizing temperature prevents this; the rapid change
in temperature prevents it from returning to the BCC structure. This is the goal of heat-treating
tool steel.

When you heat-treat tool steel, youre striving for a full transformation, said Jim Jantzi,
president of New-Form Tools, Stratford, Ont. You want to change all of the austenite to
martensite, he said. If the temperatures are right on and the heat-treater does the draws
appropriately, and everything is done correctly, most tool steels harden up to about 99.7 percent
martensite, Jantzi said.

When heat-treating D2, you might get as little as 83 percent transformation to marten site,
Jantzi continued. The tooling might seem OK, but it doesnt wear as long. The pockets of
retained austenite are weak spots in the material.

If its roll tooling, the friction removes that little bit of austenite, and if its slitter tooling, the
compressive load causes fractures to appear, Jantzi said. Once it starts to deteriorate, its like a
pothole in the roadcontinued stresses cause the hole to grow quickly.

This is where cryogenic processing, a member of the family of thermal processes, can help.

This is a continuation of the heat-treating process, said Kathi Bond, founder of CryoPlus Inc.,
Wooster, Ohio. Heat-treaters take the material from room temperature to a high temperature,
then back to room temperature, she said. We take it from room temperature to -300 degrees F
and back to room temperature. Its a big curve. They start it and we finish it.

Bond explained that the cryogenic process is actually a more sophisticated process than that,
starting with raising the temperature to 200 degrees F, dropping it to -300 degrees F, then usually
back to +300 degrees F, then to room temperature. The final portion is necessary to finalize the
process.

Taking it down to -300 degrees produces fresh martensite, which is brittle, Bond said. Taking
it up to 300 degrees stabilizes it.
Conventional heat treating temperatures for AISI D2 tool steel include the austenitizing range
(1,810 to 1,920 degrees F) and the martensitizing range (360 to 930 degrees F); the low end is
room temperature, 72 degrees F. The full range is about 1,850 degrees. Cryogenic, processing
with liquid nitrogen extends this range to -300 degrees F; liquid helium takes it down to -450
degrees F.

This isnt to say that +300 degrees F is the upper limit; depending on the material, it might need
to be heated to +700 degrees F, according to Frederick Diekman, CEO of Controlled Thermal
Processing Inc., Antioch, Ill. Regardless of the temperature range, the science behind cryogenic
processing is essentially the same as the science behind conventional thermal treatments. For
example, the amount of time needed for cryogenic treatment is similar to that of heat treatment, a
specified time per inch of thickness, according to Jantzi.

The cold penetrates to the core of the metal just as heat doesits a specific number of British
thermal units [BTUs] per hour, he said. It equates to one hour per inch of cross-sectional
thickness, according to Paulin.

The cold temperatures liberate some of the elements in the steel.

As the temperature decreases, the solubility of the elements dissolved in the matrix also
decreases, and they move around in the matrix, Diekman said. This results in a couple of
subsequent processes that improve the steel. As the metal cools, slowly, the interstitial
vacancies migrate toward the grain boundaries, Diekman said. Also, a concentration of a single
element, such as molybdenum, becomes more dispersed. Another effect is that carbon atoms
combine with any available chromium, forming carbides.

The result is a more homogeneous, more stable, and more durable material that doesnt need
further processing down the road.

It provides a complete metallurgical, structural change all the way through the material, Bond
said. Subsequent processing up to 1,000 degrees F doesnt have an impact on the new structure,
she said.

Furthermore, the improvement isnt linear; converting 16 percent retained austenite to martensite
provides much more than 16 percent more longevity.

If you have two sets of tooling, both 60 Rockwell hardness, and one has made an 83 percent
transformation and the other has made a 99 percent transformation, the second one will outlast
the first one by 100 percent, Jantzi said.

HARDER OR TOUGHER?

One common fear is that cryogenic treatment increases the tools hardness, which equates
to brittleness. Not so, according to Bond.
This process doesnt make tooling harder, Bond said. In fact, some customers request
that I raise the tools hardness, but I have to turn them away. Because the process
converts just the retained austenite to martensite, it transforms a maximum of 17 percent
of the material. The hardness increases about the same amount, which equates to just 1 or
2 points on the Rockwell hardness scale, Bond said.
That said, misunderstandings are common.
Many people equate this with a physics experiment, Paulin said. If you dip a flower
into liquid nitrogen, it will freeze instantly, and it will be so brittle that a slight impact
will cause it to shatter. People also confuse it with dropping an ice cube into a cup of
coffee, which causes the ice cube to crack or split. Thats due to differential heating, he
 said, describing a process that applies too much heat too suddenly. We do the opposite
of that. We cool the surface and the core, but slowly, keeping them in equilibrium. It
imparts uniform residual stresses at the surface, he said, resulting in a more durable tool.
The misconceptions arent unfounded, Paulin explained.
Untendered martensite is very hard, and very brittle, Paulin continued. Subsequent
draws at elevated temperatures for the right amount of time temper the material,
imparting a toughness that increases its durability.

A Denser, More Stable Material.

Cryogenic processing does more than convert retained austenite to martensite. Another effect is
the precipitation of microfine Eta-carbides, a process that fills the microvoids in the steel.

Imagine filling a bowl with cornflakes, Paulin said. You could crush the cornflakes with your
fist, compressing them to the bottom of the bowl. Now take a second bowl and fill it with
cornflakes. The precipitation of microfine Eta-carbides is similar to adding a pound of sugar. The
sugar fills in the gaps between the cornflakes, providing quite a bit of compressive strength. It
limits your ability to compress the cornflakes with your fist, Paulin said.

When it closes the grain structure, it fills in all the microvoids in the steel, which are the weak
spotsthis is where the blades would chip and break, Bond agreed. Eliminating the
microvoids makes the tooling tougher.

We can actually measure the increase in carbides using a particle counter, which counts
particles up to 1 micron in size, Paulin said. Heat-treated A2 steel typically has 30,000
particles per mm2. After cryogenic treatment, A2 typically has 83,000 particles per mm2. Closing
the interstitial gaps makes the material denser, stronger, and more able to resist loading, or
impact force, he said.

Cryogenic processing also stabilizes the material.

When you cool it, you get thermomechanical compression; then you raise the temperature back
to normal, then repeat this a couple of times. Its like taking a brand-new rubber band and
stretching it. The first pull doesnt stretch it much, but the next several pulls stretch it more and
more. Eventually it reaches a practical limit, the point at which its stable, Paulin said.
Stabilizing the material is a benefit long before the tooling gets put into use, according to
Diekman.

Diemakers should cryogenically treat the tool steel before they use the wire electrodischarge
machining [EDM] process, he said. It would stabilize the steel, reducing the movement of the
metal as it heated up. It would require fewer passes, speeding up the process.

Not a Cure-all. Cryogenic processors dont claim to cure problems, compensate for mistakes, or
restore tools and dies that have been abused. Its an extension of the heat-treating process, but
first and foremost, the heat-treating process must go as planned, according to Jantzi.

If an ovens thermostat failed and it didnt reach the proper temperature, or if a fan didnt turn
on and the heat wasnt distributed evenly in the oven, the process wont go as it was intended,
he said. Cryogenic processing cant make up for that. It likewise cant make up for an
improper quench.

Successful cryogenic processing doesnt necessarily require special processes upstream, but it
does require proper care in how the tooling is treated.

When youre sharpening any blanking tool, any grinding parameter, such as wheel speed or
table speed, must be optimized, Diekman said. If you stray from the optimum parameters, you
can generate enough heat in the surface of the grinding tool to burn the steel, even if it doesnt
turn blue. Grinding creates huge internal stresses and can actually crack the edges of a die, and
those cracks propagate when the die is put into use.

About 99 percent of the stresses generated by grinding are tensile stresses, and these create a
huge problem in the life of the tooling, Diekman said. Cryogenic treatment cant help a
material that has been abusively ground.

Who Uses Cryogenically Treated Tooling?

This process works on any high-speed-steel tooling, Bond said. Any form, any type, any
application. Do all tool steels need it? According to Jantzi, several tool steels respond well to
heat treatment, achieving a nearly complete transformation to martensite. However, D2 is an
example of a tool steel that often doesnt, and can be improved through cryogenic treatment.
D2 has 12.5 percent chromium, Jantzi said. When carbon atoms attach to the chromium
atoms, the result is an impediment to a full martensitic transformation. It can be done
successfully, but the heat-treater has to follow the specified procedure to the letter.

Although the cryogenic process often is met with skepticism, it has been embraced for many
applications.

When it comes to slitters, cryogenic processing is very appropriate, because the tools need a lot
of compressive strength, Jantzi said. It might take 50,000 pounds of pressure to shear steel, and
if there is some soft austenitic material on the slitter blade, it cant withstand the pressure and it
gives way to a chip. Toll processors and others who do a lot of slitting have recognized the
processs capabilities and have embraced technology, Jantzi said.

Bond noted that many lumber mills rely on this process. Orders for chipper knives come in so
regularly that Bond plans ahead.

We stock cryogenically treated chipper knives in five key sizes, Bond said.

The process also has found other useful niches beyond tooling.

Gun Barrels. Although a gun barrel doesnt appear to change while it is in use, quite a bit
happens as heat builds up from repeated firing. Although it isnt noticeable, the dimensions
change.

After a gun barrel is cryogenically treated, the size still changes as the barrel heats up, but the
dimensions change more uniformly both axially and linearly, Paulin said. Also, every shot
causes a slight whip, but after cryogenic treatment, the whip action is much more coherent, or
uniform. The action is more sinusoidal. We have also been told that the barrels are easier to clean
and the muzzle velocity increases after cryogenic treatment. These changes are due to the
refinement in grain structure, which results in a smoother surface, he said.

Brake Rotors. Automobiles that get a lot of severe use, such as ambulances, police cars, and taxi
cabs, go through brake rotors in a hurry. In some cases, they last less than 5,000 miles.

The transition is a different process; the material used in brake rotors is pearlite, so the
improvement has nothing to do with the austenite-to-martensite transformation that benefits tool
steels. That notwithstanding, Diekman said that its common for the process to extend the life of
a set of rotors by a factor of 4 or 5. One of his customers reported getting 80,000 miles on a set
of rotors, a 16-fold improvement. For fleet managers, 300 Below guarantees a 200 percent
improvement with a 100 percent refund.

Racing Engine Components. Racers want the optimal stoichiometry, an air-to-fuel mixture of
14.7-to-1, Paulin said. This provides the most power, but also substantial heat. They often run
the mixture rich because the extra fuel keeps the temperature down, which prevents engine
components from overheating. Cryogenic treatment of both aluminum and stainless components
allows them to withstand the heat. They can run them at the optimal mix and the engines last
notably longer.

What does quenching achieve?

Like all matter, metals exhibit thermal motion at any temperature above absolute zero, -459.67
degrees F (0 degrees Kelvin).

At any temperature above absolute zero, things move around in metal, or any material, said
Frederick Diekman, Controlled Thermal Processing. At room temperature the motion is slow,
and because its at random, metal objects dont change shape. Heating the metal increases the
amount of thermal motion; quenching slows this process markedly, but doesnt stop it.

Heat treating really is all about the quench, and the quench doesnt magically stop because the
planet happens to be at 72 degrees F, said Pete Paulin, 300 Below. It continues in a process
known as aging.

If the material is steel and it has some retained austenite, the austenite will continue to convert to
martensite at room temperature. Because the martensitic structure is slightly larger than the
austenite it replaces, the material actually changes size. The change is small and it occurs slowly,
but it is measurable.

Any tool- and diemaker can tell you that a die that has sat on a shelf for five years will have
grown, Paulin said. If you put a micrometer on it, you can measure the change. Thats aging,
or age-hardening, which is a very slow process.

It also changes size as internal stresses relieve, Diekman said.

Cryogenic processing accelerates these processes.

We speed that upwe do about 20 years of age-hardening in about 20 hours, Paulin said.
You can leave a cryogenically treated die on a shelf for a decade, pull it out and mic it, and it
will not have grown. Its done. Cryogenic treatment is an extra step, but youd rather have it
grow in a cryogenic chamber than on the shelf, especially if you have mission-critical
tolerances.

Paulin added that sub-ambient quenching processing has expanded the number of tool steels
useful in industry.

Before we had the ability to put tooling into liquid nitrogen, metalworkers figured out that the
maximum amount of carbon [in steel] would be about 0.4 percent to get a martensitic
transformation, Paulin said. This is because the one variable they couldnt manipulate was
ambient temperature. Any steel with a carbon content greater than 0.4 percent needs a sub-
ambient quench.