The Properties of D3 Steel: Strength, Durability, and More - TGK Special Steel

 

1.2080 or Werkstoff, D3 steel is a high chromium, high carbon, and air-hardening steel. This quality of steel is helpful for its outstanding wear/ abrasion resistance. Also, it offers potent dimensional stability, offering better comprehensive strength over the other varieties of steel. It has some other properties which make it suitable for applications like blanking, forming dies and rolls, pinches, press tools, and bushes, among others. Here are some of its other important properties.

Hardness

D3 variety of cold steel is treatable by heat, and it offers sturdiness in the range of 58-64 Rockwell Hardness Scale (HRC). This hardness makes it resistant to just about any type of abrasion. However, its machinability remains confined within finished grinding. So if you are looking for still variety with better machinability, alternatives like A2 tool steel or any variety having a minimum of 5% chromium content is more machinable.

Chemical Composition

The most responsible d2 tool steel suppliers mention that the best quality tool steels of this variety would have the following chemical composition:

• Carbon (C) in 2.00-2.35 %
• Manganese (Mn) in 0.60%
• Silicon (Si) I'm 0.60 %
• Chromium (Cr) in 11.00–13.50 %
• Nickel (Ni) in 0.30 %
• Tungsten or Wolfram (W) in 1.00 %
• Vanadium (V) in 1.00 %
• Phosphorus (P) in 0.03 %
• Sulfur (S) in 0.03 %
• Copper (Cu) in 0.25 %

About its Physical Properties

Physical properties of the best quality D3 tools include:

• Density of 7.7 x 1000 kg/m3 or 0.278 lb/in.
• Melting point of 1421°C or 2590°F.

Mechanical Properties

The mechanical properties of this kind of steel are:

• It has Izof impact unnotched to 28.0 J or 20.7 ft-lb. This refers to the one-point test, which measures the resistance of materials.
• Its Poisson ratio remains limited within a range of 0.27-0.30. This is the ratio between the lateral strains to the longitudinal strain that stay within the limit of elasticity.
• It has an elastic modulus of 190-210 GPa (giga pas pascal) 27557-30457 ksi (kilopound per square inch). It refers to the resistance of materials to any elastic deformation.     

About Tempering

The premier D3 Steel Suppliers mention that they cool their tools to optimal room temperature before tempering.  The parts that the mechanics place into the tempering surface need to be carefully handled. The temperature for tempering needs to be increased very slowly. For tempering every inch of the thickness, it might take about an hour. It is important to uniformly heat the tool for optimal heating.

Hardening the Tool Steel

D3 tool steel is quite sensitive to improper or overheating. So, to attain maximum hardness, mechanics keep the tools in a pre-heated furnace. The ideal temperature of this is about 954°C (1750°F), l. Following that, the work remains soaked for about 25 minutes. It also takes five extra minutes for every inch of thickness. And as the final step, the tool is soaked in oil.  

Annealing the tools

The D3 tool steels need a controlled furnace atmosphere for annealing. The mechanics often heat them thoroughly at a tona temperature of 871°C or (1600°F) and slowly cool them thereafter.