Improvement of wear behavior on tool steels

In this thesis, the main purpose is to determine the wear problems that are encountered in the mold steels which are being used in the plastic injection processes by focusing on improving the material properties in order to reduce the wear of the mold material. Various studies are being conducted and several methods are applied in the industry in order to improve the wear properties of the mold steels. In these applications, surface hardening can be cited as one of the most favourable methods because of its easy implementation and economic benefits. In the field of surface hardening, boronizing has started to become a widely used method because of the fact that it provides high surface hardness and therefore higher wear resistance than carburizing and nitriding. As summary, 1.2311 steel has relatively low cost and high processing capability. This thesis presents an alternative to four different plastic injection molds, which are prehardened and heat-treated, by using 1.2311 steel. With boronizing, 1.2311 steel can have the necessary mechanical and chemical material properties and can be used in the industry as an alternative. In addition to the scope of this thesis, coated C1 steel and 1.2311 steel, which are used in the research, have been examined and analysis for the XRD, Optical Microscope, spectral analysis, hardness test, wear test and surface profile determination (surface roughness) have been conducted. The effects of the material on abrasion and hardness properties have also been examined before and after the boronizing process.