Contact: Dr. Anne V. Boehm, Prof. Julia Hufenbach
Our research activities focus on load-adapted development and characterization of high-performance cast steels for industrial applications.
Thereby, the design of novel steels for tooling applications presents a key topic, which includes a multitude of requirements like high strength, hardness, wear-resistance, toughness and corrosion resistance has to be fulfilled. Furthermore, general demands for longer service lifes of the components and more resource-saving, efficient manufacturing processes are the challenges for advanced tool design, which are considered in the development process.
One major approach regarding cast steels is the adjustment of phases by tailoring the solidification rates, whereby the formation of the non-equilibrium phases martensite, retained austenite as well as complex carbides can be promoted. This combination of phases results for the developed Fe85Cr4Mo8V2C1 (wt%) in a high hardness (≈ 60 HRC), yield (≈ 2000 MPa) and ultimate strength (≈ 4000 MPa) under compressive load as well as in a high fracture strain of about 12% already in the as-cast state. Furthermore, an excellent abrasive wear resistance can be realized by tailoring the phase constituents and the carbide design.
Therefore, the processing of high-performance steels in the casting process offers a high potential for the manufacturing of near-net shape tools beside conventional processing routes.
Anne V. Boehm, Mark A. Bader, Fabian Kochta, Clemens Kunz, Uta Kühn, Kai Neufeld, Lars Giebeler, Julia K. Hufenbach, Low-alloyed steel with superior dry abrasive wear resistance and mechanical properties processed via steel mold casting, Wear 566-567 | 2025 | 205756. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wear.2025.205756
Josephine Zeisig, Viktoriia Shtefan, Lars Giebeler, Uta Kühn, Annett Gebert, Julia K. Hufenbach, A Newly Designed High-Strength Tool Steel with High Wear and Corrosion Resistance, Materials 16 | 2023 | 1941. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16051941
Josephine Zeisig, Lars Giebeler, Annett Gebert, Steffen Oswald, Uta Kühn, Julia Hufenbach, Novel Corrosion-Resistant Tool Steels with Superior Wear Properties, Advanced Engineering Materials 24 | 2022 | 2200293. https://doi.org/10.1002/adem.202200293
Fabian Kochta, Uta Kühn, Sebastian Henschel, Lars Giebeler, Thomas Gemming, Kai Neufeld, Christoph Leyens, Lutz Krüger, Julia Hufenbach, Novel Fe-0.3Cr-0.4Mo-1.5Mn–3Ni-0.6C tool steel with superior properties under quasi-static and dynamic loading, Materials Science and Engineering A 829 | 2022 | 142156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2021.142156
Josephine Zeisig, Nicola Schädlich, Julia Hufenbach, Horst Wendrock, Jonas Kimme, Uta Kühn, Effect of cooling rate on precipitation behaviour and transformation characteristics of a novel FeCrVBC cast alloy, Journal of Alloys and Compounds 816 | 2020 | 152544. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2019.152544
Julia Hufenbach, Arne Helth, Ming-Huei Lee, Horst Wendrock, Lars Giebeler, Chanyang Choe, Kyou-hyun Kim, Uta Kühn, Taeksoo Kim, Jürgen Eckert, Effect of cerium addition on microstructure and mechanical properties of high-strength Fe85Cr4Mo8V2C1 cast steel, Materials Science and Engineering A 674 | 2016 | Pages: 366-374. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2016.07.114
Julia Hufenbach, Klaus Kunze, Lars Giebeler, Thomas Gemming, Horst Wendrock, C. Baldauf, Uta Kühn, Werner Hufenbach, Jürgen Eckert, The effect of boron on microstructure and mechanical properties of high-strength cast FeCrVC, Materials Science and Engineering A 586 | 2013 | Pages: 267-275. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2013.07.085
Julias Hufenbach, S. Kohlar, Uta Kühn, Lars Giebeler, Jürgen Eckert, Microstructural and mechanical characterization of an ultra-high-strength Fe86.7Cr4.4Mo0.6V1.1W2.5C4.7 alloy, Journal of Materials Science 47 | 2012 | Pages: 267-271. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-011-5794-z
Julia Hufenbach, Lars Giebeler, Martin Hoffmann, S. Kohlar, Uta Kühn, Thomas Gemming, Steffen Oswald, Bernd Eigenmann, Jürgen Eckert, Effect of short-term tempering on microstructure and mechanical properties of high-strength FeCrMoVC, Acta Materialia 60 | 2012 | Pages: 4468-4476. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2012.04.041
Uta Kühn, Norbert Mattern, Thomas Gemming, Uwe Siegel, Katarzyna Werniewicz, Jürgen Eckert, Superior Mechanical Properties of FeCrMoVC, Applied Physics Letters 90 | 2007 | 261901. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2751577
