Metallurgical investigation into the failure of a chopper blade used for cutting of hot-rolled steel coils

Abstract In the present work, failure investigation of a chopper blade received from an integrated steel plant has been presented. Chopper blades are used in chopping machines for cutting trimmed edges of hot-rolled coils into pieces to convert them into scrap. These blades are manufactured from hot forged or rolled billets or flats of high carbon high chromium cold work tool steel. The investigation consists of visual examination, chemical analysis, microstructural analysis through optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and hardness measurement. The chemical analysis confirmed the steel as equivalent to D2 grade in AISI notation. Carbide volume fraction of the broken blade was in the normal range of 10–15% as commonly observed in D2 tool steel. Microstructural examination under light and scanning electron microscopy showed non-uniform distribution of large eutectic primary carbides of irregular morphology forming strings or bands in tempered martensite matrix preferentially aligned in a specific direction. The uneven carbide arrangement in the matrix made the structure highly anisotropic and susceptible to localized stress concentration. The carbides were identified mainly as M23C6 type. Cracks were observed to initiate at the edges of the blade and propagate to the interior through clustered zones of carbides. SEM study suggests that the crack initiation was associated with decohesion of carbide particles in the cluster which culminated into final fracture by the mechanism of void coalescence and subsequent crack growth.