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Materials Today: Proceedings 2 (2015) 1901 1906

Effect of Single and Double Austenitization treatments on the

Microstructure and Hardness of AISI D2 Tool Steel
Salunkhe, Sa., Fabijanic, Db., Nayak, Jc and Hodgson, Pb.
a

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Gokaraju Rangaraju Institute of Engineering and Technology, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
b
Institute for Frontier Materials, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria, Australia
c
Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal, Mangalore, Karnataka,
India.

Abstract
This investigation is concerned with the study of effect of Double Austenitization (DA) and Single Austenitization (SA) heat
treatment processes on microstructure and mechanical property of AISI D2 type cold worked tool steel. To maximize hardness,
tool steels are used in a quenched and tempered condition. This involves heating the material to the austenitizing temperature
(~8501100C), quenching at an appropriate rate to form martensite, and tempering to reduce the retained austenite content
and induce toughness. The merits of DA treatment is to promote dissolution of carbides at the same time proscribe grain
coarsening significantly was attempted in D2 tool steel. The study has found that DA treatment has induced high hardness
with insignificant growth in grains. The increase in hardness is attributed to increase in carbon content in matrix due to
dissolution of carbides; whereas finer grains due to role of inclusions.

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Characterization.
Keywords: AISI D2, double austenitization, Prior austenite grain size.

I Introduction
AISI D2 are a type cold work tool steels with high chromium high carbon composition. These tool steels are
air hardening type with maximum dimensional stability during heat treatment and offer high hardness and wear
resistance. The typical applications include deep drawing and forming dies, cold drawing punches, lamination and
stamping dies, master tools and gauges, thread rolling & wire dies, extrusion dies [1]. The reason for their
popularity in die applications is the attractive combination of properties strength and toughness they possess. The
heat treatment methods suggested for high chromium martensitic steels are:
(a) Austenitization between 950 and 1100 C followed by quenching;
(b) tempering between 200 and 300 C for high strength, moderate toughness, and resistance and between 600
and 700 C for moderate strength, high toughness [2, 3]
An optimum combination of high strength and high toughness in the steel can be achieved only under carefully
controlled heat treatment conditions. Earlier studies on revealed that austenitizing at a lower temperature of 950
C did not allow the large amount of alloy carbides to go into solution, leading to the achievement of lower strength
and toughness. On the other hand, a high austenitizing temperature of 1100 C or above, despite helping in
dissolution of alloy carbides, resulted in an increase in prior austenite grain size besides increasing the -ferrite,
as well as retained austenite content. Therefore, double austenitization (DA) (i.e. high-temperature austenitizing
and quenching followed by low-temperature austenitizing) can be applied to obtain the benefits of both treatments.
The advantages of DA treatment were reported on other steels [2-10]. In these steels, DA treatment permitted the
dissolution of alloy carbides during the first austenitization treatment carried at higher temperatures, while the
second low-temperature re-austenitization resulted in finer austenite grain size. Thus DA treatment was attempted
by earlier investigators to combine the benefits of achieving a homogeneous austenite phase free from undissolved
alloy carbides and finer grain size. It was proposed that DA should be performed in high martensitic steels for
controlling the microstructural features and thus to have an optimum combination of strength, toughness, and
corrosion resistance[2, 3]
. * Corresponding author. Tel.: +91-831-2441660; fax: +0-000-000-0000 .
E-mail address: santtosh.salunkhe@gmail.com

2214-7853 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the conference committee members of the 4th International conference on Materials Processing
and Characterization.
doi:10.1016/j.matpr.2015.07.145

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In view of this, the present study has therefore been taken up to evaluate the effects of single austenitization (SA)
and Double austenitization (DA) treatments on the microstructure and hardness of AISI D2 tool steel The purpose
of the present investigation was to elucidate the mechanisms regarding how the grain size is influenced by
microstructure through mainly DA treatment for a cold worked tool steel.

2. Experimental Procedure
2.1 Material
Specimen Preparation
The material was supplied after forging and annealing in form of a billet. The chemical composition of the tool
steel is given in Table 1. The chemical composition of the steel is in range of AISI D2 which is High carbon High
Chromium cold working tool steel[11]. The material was cut into small samples of uniform size.
Table 1. Steel Composition.
Element
C
Si
Cr
Mo
V
Mn

Composition
1.56
0.305
11.95
0.673
0.668
0.253

2.2 Heat Treatment

Heat treatment was performed in a ceramic fibre wool-insulated fluidized bed furnace. A continuous flow of
nitrogen was introduced into the furnace to prevent decarburization. The medium of fluidization was Aluminium
oxide of 120 Grit. Samples were austenitized and tempered at different temperatures and times as given in Table
2 and 3. All the samples were air cooled. Henceforth, any reference to austenitization refers to heating followed
by air quenching. All specimens were heat-treated in oversized form and machined-finished after heat treatment.
Table 2. Single Heat treatment.
Sample
Austenitisation
Tempering
SA-1
950 C
200 C
SA-2
1000 C
200 C
SA-3
1050 C
200 C
All the Heat treatments were performed for 60min and Air cooled in Fluidised bed furnace
Table 3. Double Heat treatment.
Sample
Austenitisation
Tempering
Austenitisation
Tempering
DA-1
1050 C
540 C
950 C
200 C
DA-2
1050 C
540 C
1000 C
200 C
DA-3
1050 C
540 C
1050 C
200 C
All the Heat treatments were performed for 60min and Air cooled in Fluidised bed furnace
2.3 Hardness Testing
Hardness of all the samples measured at 20 kg load using a Vickers hardness tester in accordance with ASTM
standard E384 [12].
2.4 Metallographic Techniques
The light microscopy specimens were prepared based on the ASTM standard E3 [13]. The chemical etchant used
to reveal prior austenite grain boundaries in hardened steels was 5% Nital with few drops of HCL. The time of
etching varied in accordance with different heat treatments. The SEM samples were prepared by mounting in a
conductive polymer Polyfast, to minimise effect of charging.
2.5 Microstructure Imaging
Olympus high resolution DP70 Microscope with camera was used for the examination of microstructure of
specimens. The Supra 55VP a high resolution scanning electron microscope (SEM) that uses a field-emission
electron source was used for imaging. The samples were back polished slightly to reveal prior austenite grain
boundaries[14].

S. Salunkhe et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings 2 (2015) 1901 1906

2.6 Grain Size Measurement

The austenite grain size analysis was carried out by Lineal intercept method according to ASTM E112 standard
[15]. The software ImageJ was used to measure average prior austenite grain size.

SA1

DA

SA2

DA

SA3

DA

Fig.1 SEM Images of Single Austenitisation SA1-SA3, Double Austenitisation DA1-DA3

3. Results
3.1 Optical Microscopy
The SEM images of the single heat treated samples are shown in Fig 1. SA (1-3), and those of double heat treated
shown in DA (1-3). The amount of carbides decreased with increasing austenitization temperature from 950 to
1050 C. It is also observed that the DA treatment aided in taking most of the carbides into solution DA3. The
size and number of undissolved carbides were lower in the DA treated steel sample compared to the SA heat
treated ones. The optical micrographs showing prior austenite grain size of the steel samples that were given
different austenitization treatments are shown in Fig 2. Single austenitization SA (1-3) and double austenitization
DA (1-3). In the first austenitization, the grain size increased from 3 to 12 m with increase in austenitization
temperature from 950 to 1050 C. Even in case of Double austenitization prior austenite grain size increased from
4.93m to 7.87m. The Grain size values are in table 4.

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SA1

DA1

SA2

DA2

SA3

DA3

Fig.2 Optical Micrographs of Single Austenitisation SA1-SA3, Double Austenitisation DA1-DA3

Table 4. Grain Size Values
Sample
SA-1
SA-2
SA-3
DA-1
DA-2
DA-3

Grain Size (m)

3.71
6.33
12.35
4.93
6.20
7.87

Std dev
0.70
0.46
1.79
0.61
0.84
1.03

3.2 Mechanical Properties

On increasing the first austenitization temperature from 950 to 1050C, the hardness increased from 508 to 702
Hv while in case of double austenitization the hardness decreased from 749 to 663 H v. Variations in hardness on
tempered samples quenched from different austenitization treatments are given in Table 5. The hardness did not
change significantly on tempering at 200 C for 1 h. For the same tempering treatment the DA treatment gave a
hardness which was 230 HV more than the sample which was single austenitized at 950C.
Table 5. Hardness Values
Sample
SA-1
SA-2
SA-3
DA-1
DA-2
DA-3

Hardness Hv
508.96
612.07
702.20
749.96
667.83
663.69

Std dev
2.45
3.42
2.28
5.03
2.65
5.57

S. Salunkhe et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings 2 (2015) 1901 1906

4. Discussion
The experimental results of single and double austenitization treatments on quenched and tempered AISI D2 Tool
steel indicate the following behaviour:
During conventional single austenitization treatments, the carbide dissolution as well as the grain size increases
with an increase in austenitization temperature. The double austenitization treatment promotes carbide dissolution
with insignificant increase in grain size. Judicious selection of austenitization temperature (single or double) helps
maintain a constant volume fraction of martensite and retained austenite. The volume fraction of retained austenite
increases with increase in single austenitization temperature and also further increases with the DA treatment. The
retained austenite remains stable on tempering the steel at 200 C. Hardness of the steel increase with increase in
single austenitization temperature from 950 to 1050 C.
4.1 Microstructure
The present study reveals that austenitization of AISI D2 tool steel at 950C does not take all the carbides into
solution (Fig 1 SA1.). Such carbides are reduced after austenitization at 1050C (Fig 1 SA2.) owing to the higher
solubility of carbon in austenite at this temperature. These undissolved carbides provide abundant nucleation sites
for austenite nucleation during the second austenitization treatment, resulting in finer grain size. These can be
observed from grain size values at 1050C double austenitization DA3 12.33 m, as compared to the single
austenitization SA3 7.87 m. The present study shows that DA treatment performs its intended function of
dissolving higher amounts of alloy carbides compared to SA treatment while maintaining smaller grain size (7
m) compared to the single treatment of SA3 at 1050 C (12 m). The grain size of the DA3 treated sample is
coarser compared to SA-1 (3 m), since the amount of undissolved carbides after first-stage austenitization at
1050 C is very low in order to inhibit grain growth during second stage austenitization at 1050C. The presence
of fine carbides along boundaries and within martensite following DA treatment suggests precipitation of carbide
during the second treatment, taking out part of the excess carbon from the supersaturated austenite. Nevertheless,
DA treatment results in an optimum balance between carbide dissolution and grain coarsening.
4.2 Hardness
The increase in the hardness with increasing austenitization temperature is because of the increase in carbon
content of the austenite transforming to martensite on quenching. The marginal decrease in the of DA3 treated
samples (compared to that of SA) could be attributed to the slightly higher retained austenite content of the DA
treated samples and the decrease in carbon content due to carbide precipitation during second-stage austenitization
as was postulated previously[2]. Thus the second austenitization in DA temperature should be below the first
austenitization (much below solubility of carbides) else it will have negative effect on hardness as well as grain
coarsening (DA1-3 size increased from 3-7m on increase in austenitization temperature)

Comparison of SA and DA treatments

800
750

DA1
DA2

Hardness Hv

700

SA3
DA3

650
SA2

600
550
SA1

500
450
400
2

10

12

14

Grain Size in (micron)

Fig.3. Graph depicting comparison of single and double heat treatments.
5. Conclusions
The following conclusions can be drawn based on the present investigation:
High hardness and fine grain size is preferred. As seen from graph (Fig.3) of hardness and grain size, DA treatment
offers relatively better properties as compares to SA treatment. Undissolved carbides decrease following high
temperature (1050C) single austenitization as compared to low temperature (950C) single austenitization
treatment. Few undissolved carbides remained in the steel after DA treatment. The grain size increases with
increase in single austenitization temperature from 950 to 1050 C, whereas DA treatment results in an
intermediate grain size. Prior austenite grain size is affected by the quantity of alloying elements and the
austenitizing temperature. Carbide dissolution has significant effect on grain refinement and hardness. Carbide
dissolution in the first austenitization (precipitates) promoted grain refinement in the second austenitization. This

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in turn enhanced hardness. Increase in the re-austenitization temperature has negative effect on grain size and
dissolution of carbides has resulted in decrease in hardness.
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