Materials scientific challenges of a circular economy of high-alloy tool steels
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F. Großwendt
Felix Großwendt is working as scientific assistant at the chair of materials technology at Ruhr-Universität Bochum. His field of research is powder metallurgy and additive manufacturing of steels. He studied mechanical engineering at the Ruhr-University Bochum.
,
M. Bram
Abstract
Compared to other steel groups, high-alloy tool steels are particularly associated with a high energy and resource intensity. Cold-work and high-speed steels, in particular, can reach macro-hardnesses of up to 70 HRC. The steels, in their hardened and tempered condition providing them with relevant performance characteristics, are therefore processed in grinding processes accompanied by considerable metal removal rates to manufacture products for numerous applications. In line with a circular economy and aiming at minimizing the loss of high-quality and partially critical raw materials, it therefore makes sense to directly utilize the waste materials generated during grinding using powder metallurgical (PM) methods. This work highlights existing material scientific challenges and their impact on directly recycled tools on the example of the manufacture of cutting tools made from PM high-speed steel HS 12-0-5-5. The focus is on the accompanying metallographic investigations based on which correlations can be established between the grinding process, the introduction of impurities, powder metallurgical recycling, and the performance properties. It is shown that the processing of waste materials is of central importance and that circular economy must start at an earlier stage in the production process chain.
Kurzfassung
Unter allen Stählen sind es insbesondere die hochlegierten Werkzeugstähle, die sich durch eine im Vergleich zu anderen Stahlgruppen hohe Energie- und Ressourcenintensität auszeichnen. Insbesondere Kalt- und Schnellarbeitsstähle können Makrohärten von bis zu 70 HRC erreichen und werden daher in zahlreichen Anwendungsfällen in einem gehärteten und auf die Gebrauchseigenschaften angelassenen Zustand durch eine schleiftechnische Bearbeitung mit erheblichen Zerspanvolumina zu Produkten verarbeitet. Im Sinne einer zirkulären Wertschöpfung und dem Ziel, Verluste hochwertiger sowie zum Teil kritischer Rohstoffe zu minimieren, ergibt daher eine direkte, auf pulvermetallurgischen (PM) Methoden basierende, stoffliche Nutzung der Abfallstoffe einer Schleifbearbeitung Sinn. Am Beispiel der Fertigung von Zerspanungswerkzeugen aus dem PM-Schnellarbeitsstahl HS 12-0-5-5 zeigt dieser Beitrag daher exemplarisch auf, welche werkstoffkundlichen Herausforderungen bestehen und wie sich diese auf direkt rezyklierte Werkzeuge auswirken. Der Fokus wird auf die begleitenden metallografischen Untersuchungen gelegt, mit denen sich Zusammenhänge zwischen dem Schleifprozess, dem Eintrag von Verunreinigungen, der pulvermetallurgischen Rezyklierung und den Gebrauchseigenschaften herstellen lassen. Es wird gezeigt, dass der Aufbereitung der Abfallstoffe eine zentrale Bedeutung zukommt und eine zirkuläre Wertschöpfung deutlich früher in der Fertigungsprozesskette ansetzen muss.
About the author
Felix Großwendt is working as scientific assistant at the chair of materials technology at Ruhr-Universität Bochum. His field of research is powder metallurgy and additive manufacturing of steels. He studied mechanical engineering at the Ruhr-University Bochum.
5 Acknowledgement
The authors would like to thank the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz, BMWK) for funding the project GENESIS (03EI5009). Furthermore, the authors would like to thank the Ruhr University Bochum for supporting the project by awarding it the QUBO Innovations Award.
5 Danksagung
Die Autoren danken dem BMWK für die Förderung des Projektes GENESIS (03EI5009). Darüber hinaus möchten die Autoren der Ruhr-Universität Bochum für die Unterstützung des Projekts durch die Verleihung des QUBO-Innovationsawards danken.
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© 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston, Germany
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Contents
- Editorial
- Editorial
- Evaluation of damage mechanisms in full-forward rod extruded AISI 5115 steel by AI-based image segmentation
- A roll-headed pin from Getzersdorf, Austria, opens up interesting questions about iron metallurgy in the Hallstatt period
- Magneto-optical Kerr effect analysis of strain-induced martensite formation during flow forming of metastable austenitic steel AISI 304L
- Materials scientific challenges of a circular economy of high-alloy tool steels
- Cavitation-induced damage on a ship propeller’s Kort nozzle made of AISI 316L and investigation of the near-surface microstructural changes
- Preparation of aluminum thin films and laminates
- Preparation and microstructural examination of additively manufactured alloys 316L and 17-4PH
- Results of a round robin test on grain boundary determination by image analysis in the DGM working group ‘Quantitative Structural Analysis’
- Deep learning-based precipitate quantification in STEM images of complex steel microstructures
- A bronze fibula foot from the Roman Carnuntum, Lower Austria
- Optimization of preparation methods for EBSD analysis of highly metastable austenitic steels
- Picture of the Month
- Picture of the Month
- People
- Interview with Gaby Ketzer-Raichle on the occasion of the new edition of “Schumann Metallography”, published by Heinrich Oettel and Gaby Ketzer-Raichle
- News
- News
- Meeting Diary
- Meeting Diary
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Contents
- Editorial
- Editorial
- Evaluation of damage mechanisms in full-forward rod extruded AISI 5115 steel by AI-based image segmentation
- A roll-headed pin from Getzersdorf, Austria, opens up interesting questions about iron metallurgy in the Hallstatt period
- Magneto-optical Kerr effect analysis of strain-induced martensite formation during flow forming of metastable austenitic steel AISI 304L
- Materials scientific challenges of a circular economy of high-alloy tool steels
- Cavitation-induced damage on a ship propeller’s Kort nozzle made of AISI 316L and investigation of the near-surface microstructural changes
- Preparation of aluminum thin films and laminates
- Preparation and microstructural examination of additively manufactured alloys 316L and 17-4PH
- Results of a round robin test on grain boundary determination by image analysis in the DGM working group ‘Quantitative Structural Analysis’
- Deep learning-based precipitate quantification in STEM images of complex steel microstructures
- A bronze fibula foot from the Roman Carnuntum, Lower Austria
- Optimization of preparation methods for EBSD analysis of highly metastable austenitic steels
- Picture of the Month
- Picture of the Month
- People
- Interview with Gaby Ketzer-Raichle on the occasion of the new edition of “Schumann Metallography”, published by Heinrich Oettel and Gaby Ketzer-Raichle
- News
- News
- Meeting Diary
- Meeting Diary
