Effect of the cross-rolling and austempering heat treatment on the microstructure, texture, and mechanical properties of a low alloyed steel used in rotary cutting tools.

The development of uniform tensile properties in cold-rolled BCC metals is generally achieved by annealing. The final microstructure of these components is typically characterized as having a rather coarse microstructure and therefore lower tensile properties. Cross-rolling offers a great potential of homogenizing the microstructure without losing the benefits of the rolled microstructure and crystallographic texture. The research summarized below examines the effect of cross-rolling and an austempering heat treatment on the mechanical properties of the AISI 8670 steel sheets. Comparison with the conventional production methods was performed to quantify the efficiency of the new deformation and heat treatment approach. The results clearly indicate that the combination of cross-rolling and low temperature austempering generates favorable isotropic mechanical properties by creating uniform strength of α and ε fiber textures and homogeneous lower bainitic microstructure. Increases in UTS and toughness of 40% and 57% respectively were systematically obtained with the new combination of deformation path and heat treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]