High carbon steels for dies production need high surface hardness and core toughness. The feasibility of improving surface hardness by laser treatment has been studied, on samples with an improved core toughness, obtained by a former quenching and tempering treatment at higher temperatures. The behavior of three types of steel has been examined. Treated layers of high hardness and martensitic structure have been obtained in low chromium steels. Owing to the difficulties in the dissolution of chromium carbides, sufficient hardening effect cannot be obtained in the 13% chromium high carbon steel.

Date Published: 4 May 1993
PDF: 4 pages
Proc. SPIE 1810, 9th International Symposium on Gas Flow and Chemical Lasers, (4 May 1993); doi: 10.1117/12.144565

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 1810:
9th International Symposium on Gas Flow and Chemical Lasers
Costas Fotakis; Costas Kalpouzos; Theodore G. Papazoglou, Editor(s)