Abstract:
Cryoprocessing, a supplementary process to
conventional heat treatment process, is the process of
deep-freezing materials at cryogenic temperatures to enhance the mechanical and physical properties of materials
being treated. The execution of cryoprocessing on cutting
tool materials increases wear resistance, hardness, and
dimensional stability and reduces tool consumption and
down time for the machine tool set up, thus leading to cost
reductions. The effects of cryoprocessing on tool steels and
carbides, metallurgical aspects including reduced amount of
retained austenite, precipitation of η-carbides, phase change
in carbides, improvement in wear resistance, and applications are reviewed for manufacturing industry. Although it
has been confirmed that cryogenic processing can improve
the service life of tools, the degree of improvement
experienced and the underlying mechanism remains ambiguous. The steps involved in cryoprocessing are critical
enough to account for the significant incongruity in posttreated performance.
