Wear resistance of knives made of DI37-VI (11Kh4V2MF3S2-VI) steel during cutting with addition of an abrasive material

A method of thermal treatment of DI37-VI steel exhibiting precipitation hardening is developed with due allowance for the steel microstructure and determining the chemical composition of carbides and the matrix after each operation. In the case of low-temperature tempering, the mechanical properties of steel are found to be little different from its properties obtained by means of multiple high-temperature tempering (aging); in the latter case, however, the wear resistance of steel in the case of cutting of steel bars is 1.5 times higher. It is demonstrated that the wear resistance of steel is significantly affected by the chemical composition of carbides and the matrix.