High-speed steel is widely used for cutting tools due to its convenience of preparation and cost-effectiveness. Previous research has shown that deep cryogenic treatments improve the mechanical properties of high-speed steel, due to the transformation of the residual austenite and the precipitation of carbide, while few studies have researched martensitic changes. The variations in martensite multi-level microstructures in AISI M35 high-speed steel, treated over different deep cryogenic time periods, were investigated in this study. Meanwhile, the effect of these variations on the mechanical properties of the selected steel was discussed. It was found that prolonging deep cryogenic time facilitated an increase in dislocation, low-angle grain boundary, and the coincident-site lattice boundary (especially the twin boundary) of martensite. The size of the martensite block (db) and lath (dl) decreased with deep cryogenic time. However, the effect on the microstructure was limited when the cryogenic treatment time exceeded 5 h. The increase in dislocation decreased the temperature for carbide precipitation and promoted fine carbide precipitation during tempering. The refinement of martensite multi-level microstructures and the greater precipitation of fine carbides gave the tempered specimens excellent impact toughness. The impact toughness of the tempered samples undergoing deep cryogenic treatment for more than 5 h was about 32% higher than the sample without deep cryogenic treatment.
Keywords: AISI M35 high-speed steel; deep cryogenic treatment time; martensite multi-level microstructures; mechanical properties.