Author : D. N. Korade, V. M. Dandge, K. V. Ramana, K. R. Jagtap

In manufacturing industries, tools can be exposed to various loading condition like mechanical, tribological and envi-ronmental condition. So it is very important to enhance the material properties especially fatigue strength and frac-ture toughness, to increase the life of the tools and decreasing the production cost. Various heat treatments like hard-ening, tempering and cryogenic treatments are used to increase the wear resistance and the mechanical properties of the tool steels. This paper will present the state of the art review on the effect of the various heat treatments on fa-tigue strength and fracture toughness of the different tool steels. The different researchers used the experimental tests like thermal fatigue test, thermo-mechanical fatigue (TMF) test for calculation of fatigue strength and three-point bend tests for fracture toughness of the tool steels.

Keywords: Tool steels, Heat Treatment, Fatigue Strength, Fracture Toughness, TMF cracking,austenitising, etc.