Microstructure and hardness of spray-formed H13 steel

H13 steel was prepared by traditional processes and spray forming respectively, then it was subjected to forging processes. The miorostructure and hardness of H13 steel prepared by different processes were studied by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and hardness tester. The results show that the spray formed and forged H13 steel possesses a finer grain size and a higher hardness than traditional H13 steel.