Inclusions, stress concentrations and surface condition in bending fatigue of an H13 tool steel

Combined effects of inclusions, surface condition and geometrical stress concentration on the fatigue strength of a tool steel have been studied. Bending fatigue testing was performed for milled tool components and smooth specimens produced from an experimental AISI H13 tool steel with varying additions of sulphur and oxygen. Inclusion distributions of the different test series were determined. Fracture surfaces after fatigue failures were studied in a scanning electron microscope. The sulphur content does not have a significant influence on the fatigue strength of the milled tool components in the range of 0.02 - 0.09 wt%. A clear reduction in the fatigue strength is obtained for the smooth specimens when the steel becomes rich in inclusions. Here, the oxide type inclusions dominated as crack initiators and the effect of sulphides was smaller. The results demonstrate the reduced effect of inclusions on the fatigue strength in components with large stress concentrations and rough surfaces.