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Effect of nitrogen substituting carbon on high-temperature mechanical properties and

wear performance of Cr-Mo-V hot-working die steel

Jinbo Gu, Junwei Yin, Hongxiao Chi, Lihao Li, Jian Zhou, Dangshen Ma

PII: S2238-7854(24)02837-0
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmrt.2024.12.033
Reference: JMRTEC 12468

To appear in: Journal of Materials Research and Technology

Received Date: 31 October 2024

Revised Date: 3 December 2024
Accepted Date: 3 December 2024

Please cite this article as: Gu J, Yin J, Chi H, Li L, Zhou J, Ma D, Effect of nitrogen substituting carbon
on high-temperature mechanical properties and wear performance of Cr-Mo-V hot-working die steel,
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Effect of nitrogen substituting carbon on high-temperature mechanical
properties and wear performance of Cr-Mo-V hot-working die steel
Jinbo Gua, Junwei Yina, Hongxiao Chia*, Lihao Lib, Jian Zhoua, Dangshen Maa
a
Special Steel Department, Central Iron and Steel Research Institute (CISRI), Beijing, 100081,
China
b
Zhongye Jingcheng Engineering Design Co., Ltd, Beijing, 102600
E-mail: [email protected];

Abstract：
The effect of nitrogen substituting carbon on the high-temperature mechanical
properties and wear performance of Cr-Mo-V hot-working die steel (HWDS) at
500-600℃ was investigated. The results indicate that nitrogen substitution for carbon

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significantly increased the quantity and stability of undissolved V(C, N), enabling the
quenching temperature of the steel to increase from 1030 °C to 1100 °C while

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obtaining grains of similar size. Nitrogen substitution for carbon could increase both
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the strength and plasticity of Cr-Mo-V steel at 500℃, while decreasing the plasticity
at 600℃ due to weaker bonding force between the undissolved V-rich carbides and
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matrix. The influence of nitrogen substituting carbon on high-temperature wear

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resistance is consistent with its influence on high-temperature plasticity. Nitrogen

substitution for carbon intensifies the degree of high-temperature oxidation,
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improving wear-resistance of HWDS at 500 °C, but reduces the wear resistance at
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600 °C. These different effects are mainly attributed to the different roles played by
undissolved V-rich carbides at different temperatures.
Key words: Hot-working die steel; Nitrogen substituting carbon; High-temperature
wear performance; Oxidative wear
Introduction
4Cr5Mo2V hot-working die steel (HWDS) is extensively utilized in the
manufacturing of hot extrusion and die-casting molds due to its outstanding high
thermal strength, toughness, and fatigue resistance [1, 2]. These applications subject
the steel to highly complex working conditions, where it must withstand the friction
effects of aluminum liquid at temperatures ranging from 500-600 °C.
High-temperature wear has emerged as a prominent failure mode of HWDS [3]. As
the working conditions for hot-working molds continue to become more intricate and
severe, there is an urgent need to investigate the high-temperature wear mechanism
and develop new HWDS with enhanced wear resistance.
At present, research on high-temperature wear mechanism of HWDS is quite
limited. It is well known that high-temperature wear resistance of steel is closed
related to high-temperature mechanical property such as strength, plasticity and
toughness [4-6]. Traditional method of improving the wear resistance of steel relies on
increasing the hardness of the martensitic matrix and precipitation of carbides, which
mainly depends on the carbon and alloying elements such as Cr, Mo, V, Ti and W in
steel composition, respectively [7-10]. Berns et al. reported that carbide-containing

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steels exhibit excellent high-temperature wear resistance due to the avoidance of
obstacles and delayed dislocation motion movement [11]. A.G. Kostryzhev proved

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that Ti microalloying could promote precipitation of coarse TiMoVCN and fine TiC
particles, thereby improving the wear resistance of martensitic steels [12]. Chang
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reported that compared with single-phase TiC, the dual-phase TiC+TiB2 nanoparticles
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can improve the strength and toughness of high-chromium hot-working die steel at
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400°C, but significantly reduce its wear resistance [13]. Cao et al., reported that laser
quenching/ion nitriding composite treatment process could significantly enhance the
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wear resistance of the H13 steel [14]. Although these methods have shown
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improvements, they sacrifice toughness, weldability, and high alloy costs.

It has been extensively reported that nitrogen addition can improve the
morphology and the distribution of carbides, thus reinforced secondary hardening, and
this cost-effective strategy has been widely used in the production of stainless steels
[15]. However, research on wear resistance is still lacking. Fan et al., reported that 0.1%
nitrogen addition can delay the precipitation of large sized particles, improve the
hardness and wear resistance of 4Cr13 steel. However, excessive precipitation of the
second- phase particles caused by 0.18% nitrogen could promote the wear process as
third-body abrasives, reducing the wear resistance [16]. Zhou reported that
incorporated N elements could enhance the microstructure uniformity of the
martensitic stainless steel cladding metal flux-cored wire, increase the wearing
resistance [17]. Zhang et al revealed that nitrogen microalloying exerts a 25%
improvement in the wear resistance of high manganese steel [18]. However, there is
currently a lack of in-depth research on the impact of nitrogen on the
high-temperature mechanical properties and wear resistance of HWDS, which may be
due to the low solubility of nitrogen in HWDS during conventional melting processes.
In the previous work, newly developed nitrogen substituting carbon Cr-Mo-V
HWDS with excellent obdurability and thermal stability were reported [19]. Nitrogen
substituting carbon could simultaneously enhances both strength and plasticity at
room temperature. However, the influence of nitrogen substituting for carbon on
high-temperature mechanical properties and wear resistance remains unclear due to
significant differences in microstructure between high-temperature and
room-temperature environments. Thus, this research aims to investigate the effect of

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nitrogen substituting carbon on high-temperature mechanical property and wear

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performance of Cr-Mo-V HWDS. The mechanism of the effect of nitrogen

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substitution for carbon on the fracture behavior and wear behavior at 500-600 °C was
particularly emphasized.
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2. Experimental Materials and Methods

Test steels with compositions (wt. %) of Fe-0.4C-5Cr-2.7Mo-0.7V (#1)

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Fe-0.32C-0.06N-5Cr-2.7Mo-0.7V (#2) were prepared by vacuum induction melting.

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Nitrogen was introduced in the form of a nitrogen-containing ferrochromium alloy

during the smelting process, and nitrogen pressurization protection was employed
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throughout this procedure. The ingot was maintained at a temperature of 1250 °C for
a duration of 3 hours, followed by multi-directional hot forging conducted within the
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temperature range of 850-1150 °C, after which it was air-cooled. During the
spheroidizing annealing process, the blocks were austenitized at 880 °C for 60
minutes and subsequently cooled to below 650°C at a cooling rate of 10 °C h−1
within the furnace. Following this, during the quenching phase, the blocks were
austenitized at temperatures of 1100 °C and 1030 °C for steel samples #1 and #2,
respectively. The reason for choosing a much higher quenching temperature for #1
steel is mainly because nitrogen substituting carbon promotes the precipitation of
vanadium nitride, allowing for a higher quenching temperature [19]. After
austenitization, the blocks were subjected to oil quenching until they reached room
temperature. Subsequently, the quenched samples underwent tempering at 600 °C for
a duration of 4 hours. Blanks for the wear resistance test were cut from tempered
samples as shown in Fig. 1.
Tensile tests were carried out on MTS E45.105 using 25 nm gage length at 25 °C,
500 °C and 600 °C according to GB/T 228.1-2021. The wear resistance test was
conducted at the SRV-4 high-temperature friction and wear testing machine with
ball-on-disk point contact friction mode, and the friction pair was a silicon nitride ball
with a hardness of approximately 2500 HV. The test parameters were an applied force
of 10 N at a frequency 10 Hz with a stroke of 1 mm for 30 min at 25 °C (room
temperature), 500 °C and 600 °C, respectively.

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Fig. 1. Dimension Specifications of Wear Specimens (Unit: mm)

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After the test, the wear volume of the specimen surface was measured by the
Contour GT-K optical profilometer, and the wear rate Wr was calculated according to
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Equation (1):
∆V
Wr = (1)
N×d
Where ΔV is the wear volume; N is the load, taken as 10 N; d is the sliding distance,
taken as 180 m. Three wear tests were conducted, and the average wear volume was
utilized to calculate the wear rate.
Microstructures and fracture surfaces, crack morphologies, worn surface and
longitudinal section morphology were observed by the Gemini ZEISS field emission
scanning electron microscope (FESEM), and element distribution of elements in
specific micro-areas were analyzed by the energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS,
20kV). The morphology and types of carbides were characterized by J EM-2000FX
high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) at 200 kV. X-ray
diffraction (XRD; D8ADVANCE, Bruker, Germany; Co target, λ = 0.179021 nm,
tube current 40 mA, tube voltage 35 kV, scanning speed 2°/min) was conducted on the
worn surfaces to provide insight into oxide layer formation.
3 Results and discussion
3.1 Initial microstructure and mechanical properties
The initial microstructures of samples are presented in Fig.2. As can be seen from
Fig.2a and b, even though the quenching temperature of 2# sample was increased to
1100 ℃, its grain size was still comparable to that of # 1 steel, which was ascribed to
the nitrogen substitution of carbon promoting the grain refinement of a large amount
of undissolved V(C, N), as shown in Fig.2c and d. As the best quenching temperature
for the #1 steel is 1030 °C and optimum quenching temperature should be as high as

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possible while ensuring the grain size, in order to dissolve more alloying elements
[20]. Therefore, it is reasonable to choose a quenching temperature of 1100℃.More

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details about the selection of quenching temperature can be found in previous studies
previous research [19].
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Fig. 2. SEM and TEM of initial microstructures for samples: (a, c) #1 steel; (b, e)
#2 steel;
The high-temperature tensile stress-strain curve and corresponding mechanical
property statistics are shown in Fig.2. It can be seen that with the temperature rising to
600 °C, the tensile strength sharply decreases from 1600-1650 MPa to 1150-1200
MPa, and the elongation increases from 12%-14% to 29%-33%. Nitrogen substitution
for carbon has different effects on high-temperature mechanical properties at different
temperatures: it increases both strength and ductility at 25 °C and 500 °C, while
increases strength but reduces plasticity at 600 °C. It seems to imply an influence
mechanism which is different from that of room temperature [19]. The increase in
strength is mainly attributed to the promotion of precipitation of nanoscale
precipitates such as V(C, N) and M3C by nitrogen alloying, which enhances
precipitation strengthening[21]. The effect of nitrogen-substituted carbon on plasticity
at different temperatures is closely related to the fracture mode [22, 23]. The typical
fracture morphology (Fig. 4) indicates that mixed mode intergranular and
transgranular fracture occurred at room temperature, characterized by intergranular
cracks, flat cleavage planes and small indentations. The substitution of nitrogen for

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carbon not only increases the inherent plasticity of the matrix, but also inhibits the

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coarsening of carbides, ensuring a better matrix. As the stretching temperature rises to
500 °C and 600 °C, a large number of undissolved plastic pores of vanadium-rich

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carbides are observed at the bottom, which means that these carbides begin to become
sources of cracks. These large plastic pores are formed due to the low interfacial
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bonding and the separation between the matrix and the large precipitates during stress
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[24]. Obviously, when the temperature rises to 600 °C, the bonding force between the
undissolved vanadium-rich carbide and the matrix is sufficiently weak, resulting in a
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decrease in plasticity. In a word, as the temperature changes, V (C, N) plays different

roles during the stretching process, resulting in different effects on plasticity.
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Fig. 3. Engineering tensile stress-strain curves (a) and mechanical properties (b) of
samples at different temperature
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Fig. 4. Fracture morphology samples tested at different temperature: (a)1#-25 °C ；

(b)2#-25 °C；(c)1#-500 °C；(d)2#-500 °C；(e)1#-600 °C；(f)2#-600 °C

3.1 Wear rate

Three-dimensional morphologies of the worn surfaces and calculated wear rates
of 1# and 2# steels at various test temperatures are displayed in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6. It
can be seen that at 25 °C, the wear depth of the two steels is the shallowest and the
wear rate is relatively close. When the temperature rises to 500 °C and 600 °C, the
wear profile becomes smaller and the wear rate increases. At room temperature, the
wear rate of sample No. 2 is relatively close to that of sample No. 1. At 500 °C, the
wear rate of #2 is lower than that of #1, while at 600 °C, the opposite is true. It is
obvious that the effect of nitrogen substitution for carbon on wear behavior varies at
different temperatures.
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Fig. 5. Three-dimensional morphologies of the worn surfaces of 1# and 2# steels at

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different temperatures: (a)1#-25 ℃; (b)2#-25 ℃; (c)1#-500 ℃；(d)2#-500 ℃; (e)1#-600 ℃;

(f)2#-600 ℃
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Fig. 6. Wear rates of #1 and #2 steels at different test temperatures

3.2 Wear Morphology

 The worn surface morphology of the samples is presented as Fig.7. As can be
seen, at 25 °C, the wear surface of #1 and #2 steel have shallow wear marks as well as
adherent particles and a small amount of oxide flakes, indicating adhesive wear and
abrasive wear. At 500 °C and 600 °C, the worn surfaces of the two steels were
partially covered by oxide layers and peeled-off oxide fragments (Fig.7(e) and (f)),
indicating that oxidative wear had occurred. Oxides that flake off from the worn
surface can better adhere to the worn surface, reducing the occurrence of abrasive
wear, resulting in a lower wear rate at 500 °C than at 25 °C [25]. It is noteworthy that
the oxide layer of #1 steel was basically destroyed, and only a small amount of wear
debris was observed covering the matrix, showing severe wear. While, the oxide layer

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of #2 steel appeared larger and more complete than that of #1 sample, indicating

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relatively slight wear. Further, when the test temperature reached 600 °C, the wear

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morphologies of both samples underwent significant changes, with relatively
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complete and continuous oxide layers appearing, which were composed of oxide
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layers and exfoliated oxide particles as a whole (Fig.7(e) and (f)). Under the action of
high temperature and load, oxides were continuously compacted to form oxide layers,
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provided better protection for the substrate and further reduce the wear rate compared
to 500 °C. In addition, the oxide layer coverage of #2 steel was lower than that of #1
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steel, indicating that the oxide layer of #2 steel is more severely peeled off, resulting
in a higher wear rate.
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Fig. 7. Worn surface morphologies of 1# and 2# steels at different temperatures:

(a)1#-25℃; (b)2#-25℃; (c)1#-500℃; (d)2#-500℃; (e)1#-600℃; (f)2#-600℃

To further analyze the wear behavior of the two types of die steels within the
service temperature range, the longitudinal sections of the wear samples at 500 °C and
600 °C were characterized as shown in Fig.8. As shown in Fig. 8a, b, a discontinuous
oxide layer with a thickness of 1 μm is formed near the worn surface of #1 steel.
Meanwhile, a significant inverted L-shaped plastic deformation zone was observed in
the lower part of the oxide layer, where a certain amount of spherical undissolved
vanadium-rich carbides was present, consistent with the direction of friction. Further
detailed observation showed that the crack appeared between the oxide layer and the
plastic deformation zone, indicating a certain degree of softening of the support effect
on the oxide layer. For #1 steel, the oxide layer is more tightly bonded to the substrate,
resulting in less oxide layer peeling. In contrast, the oxide layer of #2 steel is
relatively thick (2 μm) and flat (Fig. 9a, b), indicating a stronger bond with the matrix.
The plastic deformation zone is semi-circular, with a large number of spherical
carbides present. The EDS analysis of the oxide layer (Fig. 8c, d and Fig. 9c, d) shows
that the content of O in the oxide layer of #2 steel is higher than that of #1 steel, while
the content of Cr is lower, indicating a higher degree of oxidation. Morphological
studies of the oxide layer and plastic deformation zone indicate that nitrogen
substitution for carbon increases the thickness of the oxide layer and the resistance of
the substrate to plastic deformation.

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Fig. 8. Cross-section of 2# steel after wear at 500°C: (a) Microstructure morphology;

(b) Partial enlarged view; (c) element distribution of figure (b); (d) EDS and element content
of oxide layer
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Fig. 9 Cross-section of 1# steel after wear at 500°C: (a) Microstructure morphology; (b)
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Partial enlarged view; (c) element distribution of figure (b); (d) EDS and element content of
oxide layer

Fig.10 and Fig.11 present the cross-sectional microstructures of #1 and #2 steels

worn at 600°C, respectively. As can be seen, the morphology of oxide layers and
plastic deformation zone of both samples showing a certain difference from those at
500 °C, #1 steel forms flatter and continuous broader oxide layer and a severe
streamline plastic deformation zone along the friction direction is formed beneath the
oxide layer. In addition, cracks are rarely observed between the oxide layer and the
substrate, exhibiting relatively low peeling amount than that of 500 °C. Further EDS
confirmed that the oxygen content of oxide layer has significantly increased compared
to 500 °C, approaching 30%. This is attributed to the change in the composition of
oxides with temperature. XRD analysis was carried out directly on the worn surface.
The results of X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses conducted on the worn surface (Fig.
12) indicate that the degree of oxidation significantly increases as the wear
temperature rises from 500 °C to 600 °C. Furthermore, the composition transitions
from predominantly Fe3O4 to primarily Fe2O3 and FeO, which is consistent with
previous research [26-28]. Apparently, loose and soft Fe2O3 and FeO is benefit for
providing good lubrication effect, thus decrease the wear rate of samples at 600 °C
[29]. Further, the arrangement of the undissolved V(C, N) carbides is highly
consistent with the deformation streamline of the matrix, which suggests that the
carbides has lost the effect of hindering the plastic deformation of the matrix. While，
#2 steel forms an irregular oxide layer along the cross-section, and spalling has
occurred at individual positions, as depicted in Fig.11(a, b, c). EDS surface scanning

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of Fig.11(d) revealed that the oxide layer within the selected area is not obvious,

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further confirming oxide layer of #2 sample have been broken and spalled off at
600 °C, which is different from the case of #1 steel.

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Fig.10. Cross-section of 1# steel after wear at 600 °C: (a, b) Microstructure morphology;
(c) Partial enlarged view; (d) element distribution of figure (c); (e) EDS and element content
of oxide layer
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Fig. 11. Cross-section of 2# steel after wear at 600 °C: (a, b) Microstructure morphology;
(c) Partial enlarged view; (c) element distribution of figure (b); (d) EDS and element content
of oxide layer
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Fig. 12. XRD patterns of worn surface
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3.4 Wear mechanism
Through observation and analysis of the worn surface and cross-sectional
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morphology, it can be concluded that the wear mechanism of the two steels at
500-600℃ is mainly oxidative wear, which is different from adhesive wear and
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abrasive wear at 25 °C. The substitution of carbon with nitrogen has varying effects
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on the wear resistance of HWDS at different temperatures. Fig.13 illustrates the

different roles of nitrogen substituting carbon in steel at 500 °C and 600 °C,
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respectively. When the test temperature is 500 °C, due to the increase in ambient
temperature and the heat generated by friction, a certain thickness of dense and hard
Fe3O4 will appear on the wear surface of both steels, resulting in slight oxidative wear
(Fig. 13(a,b)). The presence of the oxide layer offers protection to the matrix, and the
wear rate drops to a certain extent compared to that of 25 °C. It is worth mentioning
that nitrogen substituting carbon significantly reduces the oxidation resistance of steel.
This phenomenon is mainly attributed to the tendency of nitrogen to be close to
chromium atoms, as nitrogen has a high affinity, thereby reducing the activity of
chromium and hindering the formation of chromium-rich protective oxides. Due to the
better lubrication effect of the thicker oxide layer, nitrogen-substituted carbon steel
exhibits higher wear resistance. In addition, The abundance of spherical primary
carbide V(C, N) plays an important role in enhancing mild oxidative wear at 500 °C.
Firstly, due to the high bonding force between the main V(C, N) carbide and the
matrix at 500 °C, cracks are not easily initiated between the V(C, N) carbide and the
matrix, which is reflected in the high plasticity and tensile fracture of the steel at
500 °C. Secondly, these main V(C, N) carbides in the form of wooden piles
simultaneously enhance the bonding force between the oxide layer and the substrate,
effectively preventing extensive peeling of the oxide layer and effectively reducing
the wear rate. On the other hand, they hinder the occurrence of severe plastic
deformation and reduce the softening degree of the matrix. Lastly, nitrogen
substitution for carbon can also enhance the precipitation strengthening of nanoscale
V(C, N) [19], significantly improving wear resistance.
When the temperature rises to 600 °C, the oxidation and softening of the matrix

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significantly increase, resulting in a loose and soft Fe2O3 and FeO oxide layer and a

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more pronounced plastic deformation zone. The bonding between the oxide layer and

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the substrate decreases sharply, and the tendency to peel increases. In addition, the
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bonding between the primary V(C, N) carbides and the matrix also decreases sharply,
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resulting in these primary V(C, N) carbides being completely surrounded by soft
oxide films and aligned with the direction of friction (Fig. 13(c)). Undissolved
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carbides V (C, N) lose their pinning effect and peel off together with the oxide layer,
which in turn further promotes the peeling of the oxide layer and reduces the wear
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rate (Fig. 13(d)).

It is worth mentioning that the effect of nitrogen-substituted carbon on
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high-temperature wear resistance is consistent with its effect on plasticity. The main
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reason is that when the plasticity decreases, microcracks are more likely to form in the
embedded part of the abrasive. These microcracks connect with each other and
propagate to the surface under repeated impact, resulting in the peeling of the worn
surface [30, 31]. Therefore, this study seems to indicate that the high-temperature
wear resistance level of HWDS can be determined by comparing its high-temperature
plasticity.
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Fig. 13 Schematic diagram of the friction mechanism of 1# steel: (a)#1-500 °C;
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(b) #1-600 °C; (c)#2-500 °C; (d) #2-600 °C
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4. Conclusion
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(1) Nitrogen substituting carbon can improve the strength and plasticity of Cr-Mo-V
steel at 500 °C, while at 600 °C, due to the weak binding force between the heavily
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promoted insoluble vanadium rich carbide and the matrix, it can only improve the
strength and reduce the plasticity.
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(2) The substitution of nitrogen for carbon has a minimal impact on the wear
mechanisms of the tested steel at various temperatures. Both tested steels primarily
experience adhesive wear and slight abrasive wear at room temperature, and mild
oxidative wear at 500 °C -600 °C. As the temperature increases from 500 °C to
600 °C, wear rates decrease due to the lubricating effect of Fe2O3 and FeO debris.
(3) The influence of nitrogen substituting carbon on high-temperature wear
resistance aligns with its impact on plasticity; it improves wear resistance at 500 °C
while reducing it at 600 °C. These different effects are mainly attributed to the
varying roles played by undissolved V-rich carbides at different temperatures. At
500 °C, V(C, N) acts as a "wooden stake," enhancing the bonding degree between the
oxide layer and the matrix, thus reducing spalling of the oxide layer. However, at
600 °C, due to a sharp decrease in binding force, V(C, N) loses its pinning effect and
acts as wear particles, promoting peeling of the oxide layer.
Declaration of competing interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or
personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this
paper.
Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge financial support from the Iron and Steel Research

Institute Independently Invested Funding (23T60220B) and Major Science and

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Technology Project of Hebei Province (22281003Z).

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Dear Editors:
We would like to submit the enclosed manuscript entitled “Effect of nitrogen
substituting carbon on high-temperature mechanical properties and wear performance
of Cr-Mo-V hot-working die steel”, which we wish to be considered for publication in
“Journal of Materials Research and Technology”. No conflict of interest exits in the
submission of this manuscript, and manuscript is approved by all authors for
publication. I would like to declare on behalf of my co-authors that the work
described was original research that has not been published previously, and not under
consideration for publication elsewhere, in whole or in part. The authors declare that

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they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could

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have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. All the authors listed have

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approved the manuscript that is enclosed.
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Thank you and best regards.
Yours sincerely,
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Jinbo Gu
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E-mail: [email protected]
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