Selective laser melting of H13 tool steel

• Grant number: 18/15659-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: September 01, 2018
• End date: August 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Physical Metallurgy
• Principal Investigator: Claudemiro Bolfarini
• Grantee: Adriel Pugliesi de Oliveira
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 16/11309-0 - The study, development and application of a hybrid process: Additive Manufacturing (AM) plus High Speed Machining/Grinding (HSM/G), AP.TEM

Abstract

Tool steels are widely used in the industry. In particular, H13 steel is used in forging and stamping dies, bushings, punches and mandrels for hot work, as well as molds for polymer injection. However, these parts are usually produced by subtractive processes, such as machining, or by processes which subsequently require surface finishing. Among the new and enormous current challenges for manufacturing is economic and sustainable production. The Additive Manufacturing (AM), capable of producing flexibility, total automation and sustainability, comes with a strong tendency to at least partially replace traditional casting and machining processes. AM processes consist of the manufacture of pieces layer by layer using metallic powder as raw material. The quality of the final piece obtained depends strongly on the parameters used in the process, such as laser power, scan speed, substrate temperature, powder characteristics, track overlap percentage and scanning strategy. Thus, the first step in processing by AM always consists of optimizing the process parameters in order to obtain pieces with high relative density and free from structural defects such as porosity and cracks. Each AM equipment and raw material used have specific optimum process parameters. This PhD project aims to manufacture H13 tool steel parts by AM through the Powder Bed Deposition (PBD) process. The formation of phases and microstructure, thermal stability and mechanical properties of the produced parts will be investigated. Samples of H13 steel will be obtained by the PBD process using different parameters. The density of these samples will be measured by the Archimedes method. The set of parameters that promote pieces with higher density and fewer defects will be used to prepare larger samples to be characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission (TEM), mechanical tensile tests, microhardness, fatigue and wear. The results obtained for the different samples will be compared in order to understand the influence of the parameters used in the properties of the obtained pieces. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

OLIVEIRA, ADRIEL P.; LIMA, LUIZ H. Q. R.; FELIPE, BIANCA C. A.; BOLFARINI, CLAUDEMIRO; COELHO, REGINALDO T.; GARGARELLA, PITER. Effect of microstructure and defect formation on the bending properties of additive manufactured H13 tool steel. JOURNAL OF MATERIALS RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY-JMR&T, v. 15, p. 3598-3609, NOV-DEC 2021. (18/15659-1, 16/11309-0, 17/27031-4)

ADRIEL P. OLIVEIRA; GUSTAVO FIGUEIRA; REGINALDO T. COELHO; CLAUDEMIRO BOLFARINI; PITER GARGARELLA. Application of the Box-Behnken Design in the Optimization of Laser Powder Bed Fusion of H13 Tool Steel. MATERIALS RESEARCH-IBERO-AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MATERIALS, v. 26, 2023-09-25. (16/11309-0, 17/27031-4, 18/15659-1)