What methods can be used to detect the purity and carbide uniformity of D2 steel?

How to test the purity of steel?

Microscopic observation of inclusions

Simply put, it is to enlarge the interior of D2 steel and observe the impurity particles inside.
High quality D2 steel has few impurities, small particles, and scattered dispersion; Poor quality steel has many impurities and clumps, which can make the steel prone to cracking and reduced toughness.

Gas content detection
Mainly measure harmful gases such as oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen in D2 steel.
The higher the oxygen content in D2 steel, the more low-quality oxides there are inside, making the material brittle and having a shorter lifespan; Good D2 steel has low gas impurity control and a cleaner and denser internal texture.

Chemical composition screening
Detect harmful impurities such as sulfur and phosphorus.
Excessive levels of sulfur and phosphorus can make steel brittle and prone to cracking. High quality D2 will strictly reduce the content of such harmful impurities, while ensuring the purity of the core alloy element ratio and preventing counterfeit materials from being passed off as good.

Internal non-destructive testing
Explore the deep interior of D2 steel without relying on cutting damage. Used to investigate hidden defects such as internal looseness, voids, large impurity clumps, and hidden cracks. Clean and high-quality steel has a complete and dense interior without any hidden defects.

How to detect the uniformity of carbides?

Observation of metallographic structure

Zoom in to see the distribution of hard carbides in steel. Good D2 steel: Hard carbides are small, uniform in size, and evenly dispersed.
Poor D2 steel: coarse carbides, clustered and clustered, and also connected into a network along the grains. Later heat treatment is prone to deformation and cracking, and the wear resistance of the mold is also unstable.

Comparison and evaluation of carbide grades
According to a unified standard, classify the degree of aggregation, banding, and networking of carbides.
The lower the grade, the more regular and uniform the distribution of carbides; The higher the grade, the more severe the segregation, and the worse the comprehensive performance of the steel.

High end microstructure analysis
Ultra high magnification to distinguish the specific types of carbides and impurities.
It can distinguish between normal wear-resistant carbides and inferior hard and brittle carbides that can harm steel, and is used to judge the quality of materials and smelting.

Hardness and sectional auxiliary judgment
Steel with uneven distribution of carbides, with varying degrees of hardness at different locations and significant differences; High quality materials with uniform carbides, consistent overall hardness and stable performance. The fracture section can also be visually distinguished: low-quality carbide steel fractures more easily and becomes brittle, while high-quality materials have better toughness.