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What is molybdenum - containing alloy steel

  • Mosten
  • 9 Apr

Molybdenum has about half the atomic weight of tungsten, so 1 percent molybdenum is about the same as 2 percent tungsten. One of the earliest applications of molybdenum was as a cost-effective alternative element to tungsten in tool steels and high speed steels.

Tool steel
Molybdenum improves the hardness and wear resistance of tool steels. By reducing the "critical cooling rate", molybdenum can promote the formation of optimal martensite matrix, even in large and complex molds that cannot be cooled rapidly without deformation or cracking.

High speed steel
Tool steels are referred to as high speed steels when they contain more than 7% molybdenum, tungsten, and vanadium and more than 0.60% carbon. The term describes their ability to cut metal at "high speed." Until the 1950s, 18% tungsten T-1 was the cutting steel of choice, but due to the development of controlled atmosphere heat treatment furnaces, replacing some or all of tungsten with molybdenum became practical and cost-effective.

The addition of 5-10% molybdenum effectively maximizes the hardness and toughness of HSS and maintains these properties at the high temperatures generated by cutting the metal.