Liquid phase sintering and heat treatment of T15 grade PM high speed steel

T15 grade high speed steel (HSS) was processed by powder metallurgy (PM) using water atomized powder. Liquid phase sintering was carried out in the temperature range 1250–1280°C for a fixed period of 1.5 hours. A suitable heat treatment schedule for transformation annealing, hardening and tempering of the fully dense alloys was established using hardness and metallographic studies. Quantitative metallography revealed the types of carbides and their proportions at every processing stage. Room temperature transverse rupture strength (TRS) and hot compressive yield strengths were also determined.