AISI D2

AISI D2 is a high-carbon, high-chromium, cold work tool steel known for its exceptional wear resistance and relatively high toughness. Here's an overview of its characteristics:

• Composition: AISI D2 contains approximately 1.5% carbon, 11-12% chromium, 0.5-1.0% molybdenum, and small amounts of vanadium and other elements. This composition gives D2 its high wear resistance and excellent hardenability.
• Hardness: It can achieve a high level of hardness, typically around 58-62 HRC (Rockwell hardness scale) after heat treatment. This high hardness makes it suitable for applications where tools are subjected to abrasive wear and deformation.
• Wear Resistance: AISI D2 is renowned for its outstanding wear resistance, particularly in applications involving cutting, shearing, and forming of abrasive materials such as wood, plastics, and non-ferrous metals.

• Toughness: While D2 possesses good toughness, it is not as high as some other tool steels like AISI A2. However, it still offers sufficient toughness to resist chipping and fracturing during use, especially when properly heat treated.
• Cold Work Applications: D2 is widely used in cold work applications where tools are subjected to high levels of stress and wear at ambient temperatures. Common applications include blanking and forming dies, punches, shear blades, and precision cutting tools.
• Heat Treatment: D2 is typically hardened through quenching and tempering processes. The steel is heated to austenitizing temperatures (around 1000-1100°C), followed by quenching in oil or air to achieve full hardness. Subsequent tempering is then carried out to improve toughness and reduce internal stresses.
• Machinability: D2 steel has fair machinability in the annealed condition, but its high hardness after heat treatment can make machining challenging. Pre-hardened or tempered D2 may be easier to machine for certain applications.
• Dimensional Stability: D2 exhibits good dimensional stability during heat treatment, making it suitable for precision tooling applications where tight tolerances are required.

In summary, AISI D2 is valued for its exceptional wear resistance, high hardness, and suitability for a wide range of cold work tooling applications, especially in industries such as metal stamping, blanking, and forming.