Influence of Heat Treatment and Thermochemical Processes on the Properties of the Steel X 38 CrMoV 5 3

Abstract In this study, the effects of heat treatments and cooling rates on the properties of the steel X 38 CrMoV 5 3 were investigated. Heat treatments and cooling rates during the steel fabrication processes are critical parameters for the properties of tool steels, since the phases and the lattice structures change respectively. In the experiments, four different heat treatment processes and also, nitriding and carbonitriding processes were applied to specimens made from the investigated steel. For such experiments, two different austenitising temperatures with three different cooling rates were selected and the effects of the process para­meters on the mechanical strength were investigated. Microstructure evaluations were carried out by image analysis and by using a scanning electron microscope. To determine and compare the mechanical properties, Vickers hardness tests and three-point bending tests were applied.