Quantitative description of MC, M2C, M6C and M7C3 carbides in high speed steel rolls

One goal of the COST 517 project entitled “Effects of inclusions and carbides on the
mechanical properties of alloyed steels” is to establish quantitative and statistical relations between the microstructure and the mechanical properties of rolls materials. This paper presents the different steps necessary to characterise the microstructure and the carbides presents in high-speed steel rolls. First, carbides were examined by SEM and EDX microscopy. Then, images of samples were acquired by optical microscopy and analysed to finally measure quantitative parameters describing the grains and the carbides.