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Tool Steels – Molybdenum HighSpeed Steels
Written by AZoM Jul 16 2012
Topics Covered
Introduction
Overview
Classification
Properties
Hardness
Wear Resistance
Composition
Applications
Introduction
Tool steels consisting of a combination of more than 7% molybdenum, tungsten and
vanadium, and more than 0.60% carbon, are termed highspeed tool steels. Highspeed
tool steels can be used to cut metals at high speeds and remove large amounys of
material in short time frames.
According to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), currently there are more than
40 individual classifications of highspeed tool steels. These steels can be hardened to
62 67 HRC and can maintain this hardness even at temperatures as high as 540°C
(1004°F), thus making it extremely useful in highspeed machinery.
Highspeed tool steels are classified into:
Molybdenum highspeed steels and
Tungsten highspeed steels.
Molybdenum highspeed steels are also known as Group M. These steels form more
than 95% of all highspeed steels manufactured in the United States. Although both types
of highspeed steels are equivalent in performance, Group M steels have lower initial
cost. Tools made using highspeed tool steel can be coated with titanium carbide,
titanium nitride, and other coatings by physical vapor deposition process for enhanced
performance and prolonged tool life.
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Tool Steels – Molybdenum High-Speed Steels
Overview
Molybdenum is a silvery white metal that can be alloyed together with other elements. It
is a pronounced carbide former, increases temper brittleness, and enhances fine grain
formation. Molybdenum has high weldability and a high tendency for secondary
hardening during tempering. The melting point of molybdenum steels is lower than that of
the tungsten steels.
Molybdenum can form a double carbide with iron and carbon which allows molybdenum
to be substituted for tungsten at the rate of one part of molybdenum by weight for two
parts of tungsten.
Classification
Molybdenum highspeed steels are classified as follows:
Types M 1 to M 10 (except M6) contain some tungsten but no cobalt
Types M30 and M40 are cobaltbase, molybdenumtungsten, premium types
Types M40 and above are super highspeed steels.
Properties
The main alloying elements in molybdenum highspeed steels are molybdenum,
tungsten, vanadium, cobalt, chromium and carbon. The approximate percentage of
molybdenum in group M tool steels is 3.5 to 10%.
The mechanical properties of Group M tool steels are similar to those of tungsten high
speed steels, except for toughness. Another advantage with molybdenum steels is that
when combined with vanadium, the steel does not become brittle at high temperatures,
as vanadium causes the carbides to reform into small secondary carbides which are
more stable at high temperatures. Molybdenum tool steels have high abrasion
resistance.
Hardness
As Group M tool steels easily decarburize (especially highmolybdenum, lowtungsten
compositions), they are sensitive to overheating in unfavourable austenitizing conditions,
thus making them far more sensitive than tungsten high speed steels. To overcome this
problem, Group M steels must be austenitized at temperatures lower than what is
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Tool Steels – Molybdenum High-Speed Steels
required for hardening Group T steels. This will also avoid incipient melding. Full
hardness of Group M highspeed tool steels can be achieved when quenched from
temperatures of 1175 to 1230°C (2150 to 2250°F).
Group M highspeed tool steels are tougher than the Group T highspeed tool steels.
To compensate for the reduced hot hardness in Group M highspeed tool steels, tungsten
and a bit of vanadium are added to the plain molybdenum grades. This makes the
tungstenmolybdenum grades such as M2, M3, M4 very popular as highspeed tool
steels.
The maximum hardness that can be achieved in Group M highspeed steels differs
according to their composition as listed below:
Lower carbon contents (M1, M2, M10, M30, M33, M34, and M36) Maximum
hardness is 65 HRC.
Higher carbon contents (including types M3, M4, and M7) Maximum hardness 66
HRC.
Highercarbon, cobaltcontaining steels (M41, M42, M43, M44, and M46)
Maximum hardness is 69 70 HRC.
Wear Resistance
By increasing the carbon and vanadium contents of Group M steels, the wear resistance
can be increased. By increasing the cobalt content the red hot hardness the capability
of some steels to resist softening at high temperatures causing the steels to emit
radiation in the red area of the visible spectrum is enhanced. However, this
simultaneously causes reduction of toughness. Type M2 and other grades in the
molybdenum highspeed tool steels group have remarkably high resistance to softening
at very high temperatures due to the high alloy content.
Composition
The following table shows the designation and composition limits of molybdenum high
speed steels.
Designation Compositiona, %
AISI UNS C Mn Si Cr Ni Mo W V Co
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Tool Steels – Molybdenum High-Speed Steels
max S. Where specified, sulfur may be increased to 0.06 to 0.15% to improve machinability of group A, D, H, M, and T steels.
Applications
Molybdenum highspeed tool steels can be applied in the following areas:
Cutting tools such as drills, reamers, saw blades, end mills, milling cutters, taps,
hobs, lathe tools, planar tools, punches, routers, gear cutters saws, broaches, and
chasers
Certain molybdenum highspeed tool steel grades are satisfactory for coldwork
applications, such as threadrolling dies, punches, coldheader die inserts, and
blanking dies
Camrings and automobile valve inserts
M40 tool steel series are used to make cutting tools for machining the latest,
extremely tough, highstrength steels.
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