AISI - H13 ESR

AISI H13 ESR (Electroslag Remelted) is a premium grade of hot work tool steel known for its exceptional combination of high-temperature strength, thermal shock resistance, and wear resistance. The ESR process refines the steel's microstructure, reducing impurities and ensuring more uniform properties throughout the material. Here's a description of AISI H13 ESR:

• Composition: AISI H13 ESR typically contains around 0.35-0.42% carbon, 4.75-5.50% chromium, 1.10-1.75% molybdenum, 0.80-1.20% vanadium, and small amounts of other alloying elements such as silicon and manganese. The ESR process ensures a more homogeneous distribution of alloying elements, enhancing the steel's properties.
• High-Temperature Strength: H13 ESR exhibits excellent high-temperature strength, maintaining its hardness and mechanical properties at elevated temperatures. This property allows it to withstand the thermal stresses and mechanical loads encountered in hot work applications.

• Thermal Shock Resistance: AISI H13 ESR offers good thermal shock resistance, which is crucial for withstanding the rapid heating and cooling cycles typical of hot work processes such as die casting and forging. Its ability to resist cracking and deformation under thermal shock conditions prolongs tool life and reduces downtime.
• Wear Resistance: H13 ESR provides excellent wear resistance, particularly at high temperatures. This property is essential for maintaining the cutting edge and prolonging the tool life in hot work applications involving shaping, forging, extrusion, and die casting.
• Hot Work Applications: AISI H13 ESR is widely used in hot work applications such as die casting dies, forging dies, extrusion dies, hot shear blades, and hot punches. Its combination of high-temperature strength, thermal shock resistance, and wear resistance makes it suitable for demanding industrial processes.
• ESR Process: The Electroslag Remelting (ESR) process used to produce H13 ESR removes impurities and non-metallic inclusions, resulting in a cleaner and more uniform steel with improved mechanical properties. This process enhances the steel's toughness, fatigue resistance, and machinability compared to conventionally produced H13 steel.
• Heat Treatment: H13 ESR is typically hardened through austenitizing, followed by quenching in air, oil, or salt baths to achieve full hardness. Subsequent tempering is then performed to improve toughness and reduce internal stresses. The specific heat treatment process may vary depending on the application requirements.
• Machinability: AISI H13 ESR has good machinability in the annealed or soft condition. However, its high hardness after heat treatment can make machining challenging. Pre-hardened or tempered H13 ESR may be easier to machine for certain applications.
• Dimensional Stability: H13 ESR exhibits good dimensional stability during heat treatment, minimizing distortion and warping. This property is essential for producing precision tooling components with tight tolerances in hot work applications.

In summary, AISI H13 ESR is valued for its exceptional combination of high-temperature strength, thermal shock resistance, and wear resistance, making it a preferred choice for various hot work tooling applications where tools are subjected to extreme heat, rapid heating and cooling cycles, and abrasive wear.