Kromvanadiumstål

Kromvanadiumstål, commonly referred to as chromium-vanadium steel, is a family of alloy steels in which chromium and vanadium are the primary alloying elements, usually with carbon present. It is widely used for tool steels and consumer hand tools because the combination provides a favorable balance of hardness, wear resistance and toughness.

Composition and properties: Chromium increases hardenability and wear resistance, while vanadium forms carbide particles that refine the grain and improve strength and fatigue resistance. The result is a steel that can be hardened through heat treatment to a high hardness while retaining toughness, making it suitable for cutting or forming tools and durable components. The exact composition varies by grade and supplier, but chromium-vanadium steels generally aim for moderate carbon content and small additions of other elements such as molybdenum or nickel.

Heat treatment and processing: Kromvanadiumstål is typically heat-treated by austenitizing, quenching and tempering to achieve a wear-resistant, tough structure. The tempering temperature and cooling medium depend on the desired hardness and toughness. In practice, the steel is often used in a quenched-and-tempered state to balance edge retention with impact resistance.

Applications: In practice, chrome-vanadium steel is common for hand tools such as sockets, wrenches, screwdrivers and chisels, as well as some automotive parts and other components where a good combination of hardness and toughness is required. It is widely available under various trade names as a general-purpose tool steel.

Variations: Several grades exist with differing chromium and vanadium contents, and sometimes additional elements like molybdenum, which further influence hardenability and wear resistance. The term kromvanadiumstål is often used in Scandinavian languages to describe these chrome-vanadium tool steels rather than a single defined grade.