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Premium Quality H-13 Steel

Contents:

Product Summary

Key Benefit

Specifications

Chemical Composition
Hardness
Microcleanliness
Ultrasonic Quality
Impact Capability Testing
Grain Size
Annealed Microstructure
Acknowledgments

 

Product Summary

Sample Tooling

Tooling materials to be used in the construction of a die casting die for casting Aluminum, Magnesium and ZA alloys, should be high quality tool steel such as Premium Quality H-13 especially for part designs with critical features or if high production runs are being contemplated.

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Key Benefit

Longer die life.

Premium Quality H-13 will yield a higher resistance to heat checking, cracking and die wear caused by the thermal shock associated with the die casting process.

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Specifications

Chemical Composition
 
Chemical composition (% by weight) of Critical Alloying Elements and Impurities (ASTM A-681 sec. 6)
 
ELEMENT MIN. MAX.
CARBON 0.37 0.42
MANGANESE 0.20 0.50
PHOSPHORUS 0 0.025
SULFUR 0 0.005
SILICON 0.80 1.20
CHROMIUM 5.00 5.50
VANADIUM 0.80 1.20
MOLYBDENUM 1.20 1.75
 
 
Hardness
 
Hardness (ASTM A-681 sec. 7):
Annealed hardness, as received, shall not exceed 235 Brinell (BHN).
 
A steel specimen having a thickness no greater than one inch shall exhibit a minimum hardness of 50 HRC, when air cooled, after heating for 30 minutes at 1850°F in a protective atmosphere, or when using a non-protective atmosphere, insure the sample has appropriate oversize allowance.
 
Microcleanliness
 
Microcleanliness (ASTM A-681 S2.1):
 
The permissible limits of microcleanliness (severity levels of non-metallic inclusion content) shall be determined by ASTM E-45, Method A (latest revision). Plate III should be used to obtain rating increments of 0.5.
 
The maximum allowable limits are:
 
INCLUSIONS
TYPE THIN HEAVY
A (sulfide) 1.0 0.5
B (aluminate) 1.5 1.0
C (silicate) 1.0 1.0
D (globular oxides) 2.0 1.0
 
 
Ultrasonic Quality
 
Ultrasonic Quality (ASTM A-681 S1.1):
 
Appropriate ultrasonic inspection techniques shall be performed to assure soundness. All blocks shall be free from internal defects such as stringers, oxides, porosity, bursts, heavy segregation, etc. as indicated by ultrasonic testing. Ultrasonic examination of the original steel stock shall be conducted in accordance with ASTM recommended practices A388 and E114 (latest Revision). Acceptance criteria are as agreed upon supplier and vendor.

 

Impact Capability Testing
 
Impact Capability Testing:
 
Impact capability testing covers all mill product forms with a thickness greater or equal to 2 1/2 inches. Specimen blanks shall be removed from the short transverse orientation corresponding to the center location of the parent block of steel. A minimum of one set (i.e. 3) of impact specimens shall be tested per lot of material produced. A lot shall consist of all the product of a single ingot, which is forged or rolled via a common procedure to one size and annealed in a single furnace charge. Multiple starting ingots, variations in forging or rolling size or procedure, or variations in annealing furnace charge shall require additional sets of tests.
 

Samples shall be machined to appropriate oversize, and heat treated as follows:

Austenite (protective atmosphere or use adequate oversize in a non-protective atmosphere) at 1875°F for 30 minutes, and oil quench.
 
Minimum double temper to achieve resultant 44/46 HRC.

 

Following heat treating, the samples shall be machined to finish size as follows:

Charpy V-notch as per ASTM A-370, latest revision.
 
7 x 10 mm unnotched.
- adjacent sides shall be at 90 degrees +/- 10 minutes.
- cross section dimensions shall be +/- 0.100 mm (0.004 in.)
- length of specimen shall be 55 +/- 1 mm (2.165 +/- 0.040 in.)
- surface finish shall be 63 micro inch (1.6 micro meter) max. on the 55 x 10 mm faces and 125 micro inch (3.2 micro meter) max. on the 55 x 7 mm faces.
 

Triplicate testing shall be conducted at room temperature on test machines that meet the calibration requirements of ASTM E-23 or ISO 148/R442 (latest revision). The tup shall strike the center of one of the 55 x 10 mm faces on the 7 x 10 mm unnotched impact specimens. Testing shall yield the following specified values.

Acceptance Criteria (ft. lbs.)

Test Specimen Average Minimum Single Value
Charpy V-notch 8 6
7 x 10 mm unnotched 125 70
 
 
Grain Size
 
Grain Size:
 
The Shepherd Fracture Grain Size shall be predominantly No.7 or finer when made on a hardened (air cooled after heating for 30 minutes at 1850°F, in a protective media or using an appropriately oversize sample in a non-protective media) and untempered specimen taken from a representative sample.

 

Annealed Microstructure
 
Annealed Microstructure:
 
The annealed microstructure of the as-received steel shall consist essentially of a ferritic matrix with homogeneous distribution of spheroidized carbides when examined at 500X, after being polished and etched with 4% Nital.
 
The annealed microstructure shall also be free of excessive banding.
 

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Acknowledgments:

The specifications and attributes from the preceding paragraphs was obtained from "PREMIUM QUALITY H-13 STEEL ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA FOR PRESSURE DIE CASTING DIES" by the NADCA DIE MATERIALS COMMITTEE. NADCA Product # 207-90.

NADCA Die Materials Committee

2000 N. Fifth Ave.
River Grove, IL 60171
Tel: 1-847-452-0700

ASTM standards A-388, A-681, A-370, E-23, E-45, E-112 and E-114 may be obtained from:

ASTM Sales Department
1916 Race Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Tel: 1-215-299-5400

ISO Standards 148 and R442 may be obtained from:

ISO Central Secretariat
1, Rue de Varembe
CH-1211 Geneve 20
Switzerland/Suisse

 

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