A2 Tool Steel Heat Treat

A2 tool steel a2 tool steel is a versatile air hardening tool steel that is characterized by good toughness and excellent dimensional stability in heat treatment.

A2 tool steel heat treat.

The steel is composted of 1 percent carbon 3 percent silicon 6 percent manganese 5 3 percent chromium 1 1 percent molybdenum and 2 percent vanadium. Heat treatment a2 tool steels are heated slowly to 788 c 1450 f and this is followed by increasing the temperature to 954 c 1750 f. It is heat treatable and will offer a hardness in the range 57 62 hrc. A 5 chromium steel which provides high hardness after heat treatment with good dimensional stability.

In this condition most of the alloy content exists as alloy carbides dispersed throughout a soft matrix. By way of example a2 tool steel is annealed by heating to 1550 degrees f soaking for two hours at temperature furnace cooling 50 degrees f per hour to below 1200 degrees f followed by air cooling. A2 has a fully spheroidized structure and has exceptionally low inclusion levels. These steels must be heat treated to develop their characteristic properties.

A2 is intermediate in wear resistance between o1 oil hardening tool steel and d2 high carbon high chromium tool steel. By james croxon a2 tool steel can be difficult to heat treat. Like d2 it is incredibly resistant to distortion during heat treating and is moderately machinable and grindable. The wear resistance properties and cost place a2 between that of o1 and d2 tool steel making it a good all purpose grade for many applications.

Heat treatment of tool steels tool steels are usually supplied in the annealed condition around 200 250 brinell about 20 hrc to facilitate machining. Aisi a2 tool steel is high carbon high alloy tool steel designed to have excellent wear resistance and toughness. A2 tool steels are further held at 954 c 1750 f for 30 to 45 minutes and finally removed from the furnace and cooled. A2 is also an air hardening tool steel but includes less than half the chromium 4 75 5 50 and a bit less carbon 0 95 1 05 than d2.

It s highly wear resistant and moderately tough.