Effect of deep cryogenic treatment on mechanical properties of Cr12MoV steel

The mechanical properties and wear resistance of Cr12MoV steel with different deep cryogenic treatments(DCT)were investigated.The results show that the hardness of Cr12MoV steel is improved obviously by the deep cryogenic treatment,the highest increment of microhardness reaches 228 HV0.2,and the wear resistance is enhanced too.Tempered at 180 ℃ for 1.5 h after 3 times deep cryogenic treatment for 1 h,the Cr12MoV steel has the best wear resistance,and its rate of wear loss dropped 37.1%.Moreover,the retained austenite content decreases obviously to 2.58% due to the deep cryogenic treatment compared to that of 34.35% before deep cryogenic treatment.The percent reduction of retained austenite is 92.5%.