Users’ Guide

for
Relieving Stresses in Die Casting
Dies

Produced by
Badger Metal Tech, Inc.
&
The North American Die Casting Association

By
Jerald V. Skoff – Badger Metal Tech, Inc.
& William A. Butler - Bloomington, Indiana
 April 30, 2007

Relieving Stresses in Die Casting Dies

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 3
1. Introduction 4
2. Executive Summary 7
3. Heat Checking in Die Casting Dies – A Technical Overview 10
Stress and Die Casting Dies 10
Research Results 13
4. Methods to Improve Die Life 19
Thermal Stress Relieving (Tempering) 19
Die Shot Peening ( MetaLL*ife®) 21
5. NADCA Recommendations 28
6. Feedback from Die Casting Companies 30
7. Summary and Recommendations 34
Technical References 37
Hold the control key and left click with mouse while on page in blue

2
Acknowledgements
The editors would like to acknowledge the contributions of the following
companies and individuals who provided technical assistance and editorial
comment during the preparation of this Users’ Guide. Each of them has
extensive experience in the die casting industry and both they and their
companies can be contacted for additional information or services.
• Jerry Skoff, Badger Metal Tech, Incorporated, Menomonee Falls,
Wisconsin.
• Dr. David Schwam, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio.
• Mark Baleja, Century Sun Metal Treating, Traverse City, Michigan.
• Joe Price, Paulo Products Company, St. Louis, Missouri.
• John Stocker, Schmolz-Bickenbach, Chicago, Illinois.
• Gene Hainault, Therm-Tech of Waukesha, Waukesha, Wisconsin.

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3
 Relieving Stresses in Die Casting Dies

I. Introduction
The die casting industry depends upon expensive steel dies to produce
components for its customers. Especially when used for the production of
aluminum components, the life of the die casting die is a critical cost factor.
Many times the cost of the die can be 10-20% of the cost of each part. For
example, a die for a large automotive die casting may cost as much as $800,000.
If the life of the die is 200,000 shots, then the die cost is $4 per shot. The total
cost of the component may be around $25, in which case the die cost is 16% of
the total cost for each part. Anything that can be done to extend the useful life of
the die reduces the cost for every piece produced. Accordingly, the industry has
invested significant resources into extending the life of dies over the past 20
years.

There are many variables involved in the production of die casting dies. The
technical investigations that have been conducted over recent years have
focused on identifying the keys to maximize die life. The key areas identified are:
• Die steel composition and processing.
• Die construction procedures.
• Casting production practices.
• Die maintenance techniques.

Die steel composition and processing have been evaluated and prescribed in the
form of NADCA Publication #229, “Special Quality Die Steel & Heat Treatment
Acceptance Criteria for Die Casting Dies.” This publication identifies proper
composition, heat treatment, quenching rates and hardness for die casting dies.
Adherence to this procedure insures the capability of the steel to achieve
acceptable die life. Poor practice in die construction, casting production, or die
maintenance may still reduce the die life actually achieved, but without proper
steel composition and processing poor die life will result.

4
Die construction procedures also affect the life of the die. Electro Discharge
Machining (EDM) treatments can especially damage the surface of the die and
reduce its useful life unless special precautions are taken and the die is properly
treated after EDM processing. Welding is another process that is very
detrimental to die life. Special die welding procedures are identified in NADCA
Publication #229 mentioned previously. Other construction procedures such as
rough machining and grinding can also adversely affect the life of the die.
Careful and complete polishing the die surface has been found to be beneficial to
the life of the die.

Die casting production practices have been found to reduce the life of die casting
dies. Injecting molten metal into a die at room temperature shocks the surface of
the die. Preheating the die surface to between 300°F and 600°F is
recommended and the use of hot oil die pre-heating and cooling has a good
record of extending die life. The overuse of die spray to cool the die surface is
also detrimental to die life. Die cooling should be provided as much as possible
by internal cooling lines to minimize the surface cooling during operations. The
constant need to increase production by minimizing casting cycle times may
result in reduced die life if the thermal characteristics of the process are not
considered.

Die maintenance techniques are also important factors in die life. Unfortunately,
the lack of die maintenance often adversely affects the life of the die. Dies are
seen as consumable tools in the production process and sometimes little effort is
expended to maximize the life of this large investment. Maintenance techniques
that can enhance the life of die casting dies include surface treatments and
methods to reduce the stress concentrations on the surface of the die. Surface
treatments utilized include oxide films, gas nitriding, salt bath nitriding, and ion
nitriding. Different steels possess different nitriding properties, depending on
their chemical composition. Methods used to reduce the stress concentrations

5
on the surface of the die include thermal stress tempering and proprietary
shot peening (MetaLL*ife®). These methods are the primary topic of this NADCA
Users’ Guide.

It is important that the readers of this Users’ Guide for Relieving Stresses in
Die Casting Dies understand the technical information and recommendations of
this document in their proper context. Reducing surface stresses in die casting
dies can help to improve die life, but such a practice is not a miracle cure after
using poor die steel composition and processing, poor die construction
techniques, or poor operating practices. Reducing the surface stresses of a die
is another tool the die caster can utilize to extend the life of dies and further
reduce the cost of the die castings being produced.

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6
 II. Executive Summary

The die casting industry utilizes highly engineered steel dies to produce products
for its customers. These dies are very costly and make up a significant portion of
the cost of a die cast component. The industry is constantly looking for ways to
make these dies last longer before requiring replacement. In recent years,
industry sponsored research has been conducted to identify the key factors in
maximizing the life of die casting dies. The key factors identified are: die steel
composition and processing, die construction procedures, die casting production
practices, and die maintenance techniques. The North American Die Casting
Association (NADCA) has developed publications, procedures, and checklists on
these topics to help the industry improve the life of dies.

One of the primary failure modes for die casting dies is thermal fatigue or heat
checking. Die maintenance methods used to minimize heat checking include
thermal stress relieving and proprietary shot peening (MetaLL* ife®). The
technically correct term for stress relieving a die during its productive life is stress
tempering, but stress relieving is often the term used by the industry. NADCA
has developed this Users’ Guide to assist the industry in utilizing stress
tempering and MetaLL*ife® to enhance die life.

The thermal cycling of die casting dies during production creates tensile stresses
on the surface of the die. These tensile stresses can occur in as few as 10 shots
on a die that was essentially without surface stress in the beginning. When these
tensile stresses exceed the hot strength of the die material they initiate small
cracks at stress risers on the surface of the die caused by surface imperfections
or even material grain boundaries. As the die continues the thermal cycling in
production, the tensile stresses cause the cracks to grow. A significant amount
of research has been conducted utilizing X-ray diffraction methods to identify the
causes of heat checking. The research results have confirmed that these
surface tensile stresses are the cause of heat checking. The research has also

7
shown that a die surface with pre-existing tensile stresses reaches higher levels
of tensile stress during operation and a die surface with pre-existing compressive
stresses reaches a much lower level of tensile stress during operation when
compared to a die surface with zero stress.

Feedback from the die casting industry that was solicited during the compilation
of this guide varied widely. Some operations seemed committed to the practice
of stress tempering dies regularly and others utilized MetaLL*ife® to reduce heat
checking and provide other process enhancements. Some die casters followed
the NADCA recommendation of proprietary shot peening and stress tempering
dies on a scheduled basis. However, some die casters had not been able to
verify the benefits of stress tempering or shot peening and did not do either. The
research results and the industry comments strongly suggest that each die caster
should evaluate the cost effectiveness of stress tempering and the nature of the
shot peening for dies used in their particular operation.

Taking into consideration the research results referenced in this guide, the
NADCA recommendations for maintenance of dies, and the industry comments
relative to stress tempering and shot peening the following recommendations are
offered:
1. Stress tempering should be performed on die casting dies after the initial
die sampling and then on a scheduled basis, depending on the severity of
heat checking experienced. This stress tempering should be carried out
at a temperature about 50°F below the highest tempering temperature
which has previously been used during heat treatment of the die. The
purpose of this tempering is to reduce the surface stress of the die to near
zero.
2. Dies should be stress tempered after any EDM work on the die.
3. Dies should be stress tempered both before and after any weld repair to a
finished die.

8
 4. Specific application shot peening should be utilized following stress
tempering to create a compressive stress on the die surface, which further
reduces the tendency of the die to heat check and can delay the growth of
existing surface cracks. In order to maximize the compressive stress, dies
should be reprocessed after each stress temper to renew the compressive
stress on the die surface. Some die casters using the MetaLL* ife®
process have been successful with reapplication after every second stress
temper.
5. The technical knowledge and experience of those providing stress
tempering services and especially shot peening services is critical to the
successful use of these techniques. Diligence must be exercised to
confirm the technical competence of potential suppliers along with
verification of the resultant compression curves.
6. Die life compressive stress relieving, by definition, removes compressive
protection and should not be confused with MetaLL*ife®.

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9
 III. Heat Checking in Die Casting Dies – A Technical Overview

This section will present a technical discussion about why die casting dies
experience thermal fatigue or heat checking. The results of research projects to
determine how heat checking occurs and what procedures can be used to
mitigate die failures are also presented.

Stress and Die Casting Dies

Thermal fatigue is one of the most common and most expensive problems
encountered in the die casting industry.1 This type of failure is a result of
repeated, rapid, non-uniform heating and cooling of dies, and the thermal-
mechanical loadings that result. The initial onset of fatigue failure is
characterized by heat checking on the die cavity surface. Further development
of heat checking often results in stuck or defective castings. An example of heat
checking on a casting surface is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Heat Checking on Casting Surface

Die casting dies are subjected to cyclic mechanical and thermal loading. Each
machine cycle subjects the die to the mechanical loads of the machine locking
force and the cavity pressure, as well as the thermal loads due to cooling and
solidification of the casting alloy and external and internal cooling. Each of these

10
forces affects the time-varying stress-strain field within the die. The extent to
which the forces affect the stress-strain behavior and cyclic life of the die is
largely determined by their magnitude and the areas upon which they act.

On a properly adjusted machine, the locking force is supported evenly by the

holder block-supported contact area of the die faces. Even though the locking
force on a large machine may be thousands of tons, the force per unit area on
the die is relatively small because of the large surface areas of the die faces.

Cavity pressures are more significant to the problem of fatigue than are
pressures due to machine locking force for two reasons. First, they are greater
than locking force pressures. Second, they are exerted on the same surfaces
that see maximum thermal loading. Positive cavity pressures during
intensification also may create compressive strains at the die cavity surface.

The largest thermal loads experienced by the die occur during cooling and
solidification of the casting alloy and during spray cooling of the die. These
loads, and their effects on the die surface, are shown in Figure 2 below, and
described in the paragraphs that follow.

Figure 2. Thermal Cycling of the Die Surface

11
As molten metal is injected into the die cavity, the cavity surface is rapidly
heated. The surface temperature rises as heat is transferred from the molten
metal to the die surface. The rate and amount of heat transfer depends upon,
among other things, the temperature difference between the molten metal and
die surface, and the heat transfer coefficient governing the boundary of the
molten metal and the die material. To facilitate quick solidification and to prevent
soldering, die cavity surface temperatures prior to injection of molten metal are
typically kept several hundred degrees (Fahrenheit) less than the temperature of
the molten alloy being cast. Thus, during injection, there is a rapid, non-uniform
heating of the die that induces compressive stresses near the die cavity surface,
as the expansion of the surface is constrained by cooler adjacent steel.

While there is only one source of heat to the die, the metal being cast, die cooling
is the result of heat transfer to several locations. While the die is closed, small
amounts of heat are transferred to the platens via conduction and from the die to
the surrounding air via radiation. In a die equipped with cooling lines, the largest
amount of heat is removed via conduction to the cooling lines.

While the die is open, heat transfer to the cooling lines continues, as does heat
transfer to the platens and the ambient air. As the die is opened, the amount of
heat lost to the surrounding air increases as the die surface area in contact with
the air increases. After ejection of the part, the die cavity surface is exposed to
the ambient air, and heat is lost from the hot die cavity surface to the air.
Because production schedules often necessitate short cycle times, surface-to-air
cooling of the die cavity surface is often supplemented with a relatively cold liquid
lubricant die spray. During die cavity surface cooling, tensile stresses are
created near the die surface as the contraction of the cooler surface is restricted
by adjacent material at higher temperatures. Because spraying increases the
rate of heat removal, it increases the magnitude of the spatial temperature
gradient near the die surface, thereby increasing the magnitude of the tensile
stresses. This thermal cycling of the die surface between compressive and

12
tensile stresses causes cracks to initiate at the die surface. Further thermal
cycling creates the necessary stress for the cracks to grow.

Research Results
Research has been conducted to quantify the stresses experienced in a die
casting die and provide insight into how these stresses affect the service life of
the die.2 One study was conducted by researchers from Pacific Northwest
National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Ford Motor Company.
A Ford wiper motor insert was used as a test part for modeling the effects of
residual stress on the transient stresses and strains that develop during the
course of cyclic operation. X-ray diffraction was used to measure the surface
residual stresses in the die casting die at the beginning of life, and after being in
service for 25,000 shots.

Analysis of the die insert indicated that the thermally induced stresses shifted
from compression to tension at about five seconds into the casting cycle. Typical
hoop stress, temperature, and plastic strain profiles in the outer layer of the die
are shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3. Hoop stress, temperature and plastic strain profiles on the die surface
during the course of one casting cycle for a Ford Wiper Motor die.

13
The initial rapid increase in temperature of the die as it comes in contact with the
molten aluminum introduces a very high compressive stress as the outer layers
try to expand, but are constrained by the much cooler interior. The hot die
surface is plastically deformed by the high level of stress, which exceeds the
yield point of the H13 steel at elevated temperatures. The maximum temperature
and the maximum stress are actually achieved within the first 0.1 seconds. The
stress then reverses almost immediately as the outer layer of the die begins to
cool rapidly, and is again constrained. At seven seconds into the cycle, the part
was removed from the die. The cooling rate of the now-exposed die surface
increases and there is a corresponding jump in tensile stress. This step is
accompanied by a small incremental plastic strain as the very outer layer of the
die is still hot enough to deform plastically. At about 14 seconds into the cycle,
water is sprayed onto the surface. This causes a much larger increase in the
cooling rate and sudden large increase in tensile stress. The surface of the die is
still at a high enough temperature so that additional incremental plastic strain is
incurred. As the temperature continues to decrease, the strength of the steel
increases to a level above the thermally imposed stresses and further plastic
deformation is halted.

When the water spray cooling portion of the cycle is terminated at about 19
seconds into the cycle, the outer layers heat up slightly driven by the now warmer
interior and the stress decays to it final level. At the end of the cycle, the
cumulative plastic strain that has been introduced into the die during the course
of the cycle is compressive and this is balanced by a tensile stress of about 30
ksi (207 MPa). When the analysis is continued for an additional 10 cycles, the
residual tensile stress at the end of the cycle increased by a very small amount.

A second part of the study was to model how changes in the residual stress level
in a die at the beginning of service would affect the subsequent development of
thermally induced residual stresses during operation. Both tensile and

14
compressive residual stress levels were artificially imposed on the die prior to the
start of the casting cycle. These two conditions were then compared against a
baseline case with zero initial residual stress. The latter condition would also be
representative of a die that had been stress relief annealed.

The calculated hoop stress for all three cases is shown in Figure 4 along with the

Figure 4. Surface hoop stress as a function of cycle time

for three different residual stress cases.

temperature profile. When a tensile residual stress of +100ksi (690 MPa) exists
in the die at the beginning, it partially offsets the thermally imposed compressive
stress and this reduces the peak compressive stress in the die. The hoop stress
in the outer layer declines from about -115 ksi (-793 MPa), for the zero stress
case to about -65 ksi (-448 MPa). These stresses occur shortly after injection of
molten aluminum, when the die is very hot, so plastic deformation occurs. The
amount of plastic compressive strain that is induced is actually much higher,
compared to the zero stress case, because it is superimposed on top of the initial
residual plastic compressive strain already in the die. When the die begins to
cool and the stresses reverse, the tensile stresses resulting from the die cycle
become much larger, and even exceed the initial 100 ksi (690 MPa) value. This

15
result is highly undesirable since large tensile stresses will promote crack
nucleation and crack growth, thereby exacerbating the heat-checking problem.

If the residual stress is initially -100 ksi (-690 MPa) compressive, then the
induced compressive stresses become quite large during the injection part of the
cycle and approach -140 ksi (-965 MPa). However, the amount of compressive
plastic deformation that occurs at the surface of the die is actually less than in
either the tensile or zero stress conditions. A smaller amount of compressive
plastic strain develops because the large residual plastic tensile strains that are
in the die initially must be reversed. An additional benefit is the much slower
reversal in stress which diminishes, significantly, the cyclic plastic strain. The
peak tensile stress, following the quench cycle, is also less than even the zero
stress case. Thus, the driving force for crack growth has been diminished.

It is generally believe that aluminum die casting dies develop residual tensile
stresses in service as a result of the plastic compressive strains induced during
initial heat-up. If the die begins operation with a residual compressive stress of -
100 ksi (690 MPa), the amount of cumulative plastic compressive strain
developed after the 10 cycles of operation is of the order 0.0007. The stress
actually increases a little after the first cycle and then approaches a steady-state
condition after several cycles. These calculations imply that tensile residual
stresses actually develop during the first cycle of operation. Strain hardening
then dampens the cumulative plastic strain and the plastic strain amplitude
slightly with successive cycles.

The summary of the project on the Ford die reported that in general, it is better to
have dies in an initial state of residual compression. It also reported that the
commonly used industry practice of bench polishing die surfaces to remove the
EDM white layer is adequate for the purpose of placing some compressive stress
on the surface. However, if the white layer is not removed and tensile stresses
remain, die life could be significantly reduced.

16
Tensile residual stresses develop in most dies during the initial casting cycle.
These stresses will remain constant or perhaps increase slightly with cycle time
during early life. It would generally not be beneficial to anneal out these
stresses, because they will immediately reform during the next casting cycle. If
annealing is performed, it would be desirable to re-introduce surface
compressive stresses by re-polishing or shot peening the surface.

Another research project presented at the NADCA Congress in 1997 was

entitled, “Initiation and Propagation of Heat Checking and Variation of Residual
Stress in Aluminum Die Casting Dies.”3 In a study similar to the one discussed
above with Ford, the residual stress was measured by X-ray diffraction on a die
casting die at various stages of its life. The following conclusions were made:
1. Cracks appearing in the early stage of heat checking had three types of
origins: pits and wavy patterns, various machining scratches and defects
such as indentations and strain concentrated parts of the die surface.
2. The surface residual stress, which was compressive before die casting
operation due to polishing, changed immediately toward the tensile side
and saturated in the early stage of operation. This fact is considered to
result from the following process: the surface layer of dies is rapidly
heated by molten aluminum, the thermal expansion is restrained by the
substratum and thus the surface layer is subjected plastically to
compressive strain. After cooling, the surface residual stress changed
toward the tensile side and saturated at some tensile value in the early
stage of operation.
3. On the gate side of the cavity, in which the saturated tensile residual
stress was large, micro cracks initiated in the saturated period. On the
position opposite from the gate, in which the saturated tensile residual
stress was small, the residual stress did not decrease and micro cracks
did not initiate at the end of the die service life.

17
 4. In the later stage of crack propagation on the gate side of the die cavity,
heat checking was observed by the naked eye and the tensile residual
stress decreased to zero.

In summary, research over many years has confirmed that heat checking of die
casting dies is caused by excessive tensile stresses on the surface of the dies
which initiate cracks. These same stresses over subsequent casting cycles
cause these cracks to grow. This heat checking can be minimized by proper
selection and processing of the steel used for the die. It is also minimized by
reducing the temperature differential existing on the die surface during the
casting cycle and by minimizing the temperature differences from one part of the
die to another. Without proper selection and processing of the steel and
minimizing the temperature profiles in the die, the heat checking will grow to be
much worse.

In spite of all the precautions that can be taken to reduce the tensile stresses that
build up on the surface of die casting dies during operation, they cannot be
eliminated. The question remains of how to best manage those stresses and
how to reduce the stresses before they cause damage to the die. These
questions are addressed in the remainder of this guide.

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18
 IV. Methods to Improve Die Life

The discussion in the previous section sought to explain why dies crack and fail
prior to the end of their normal useful life. The most common causes of die
failure are catastrophic cracking and heat checking. Previous research4 has
shown that catastrophic cracking (gross cracking) is primarily the result of poor
steel chemistry or poor processing of the steel used to make the die casting die.
The cooling rate of the steel from the austenitizing temperature is especially
important in this regard. This research has been summarized by NADCA in
Publication #229, available from NADCA at www.diecasting.org, and will not be
repeated here. Proper steel chemistry and processing also improve the
resistance of the die surface to heat checking but cannot eliminate it. Methods
used by the industry to further reduce the impact of heat checking, both thermal
stress relieving and shot peening, are presented in this section.

Thermal Stress Relieving

It should be pointed out at the onset of this discussion that what is normally
called “thermal stress relieving” by the industry when attempting to reduce or
eliminate the tensile stresses present on the surface of a die after it has been in
production for a period of time is more appropriately called “stress tempering.”
Stress relieving is only done on dies in the soft condition (annealed) at a
temperature of around 1250°F. This might be done on a die that has major
welding due to a machining error or a design change. Its purpose is to prevent
quench cracking in the welded areas. A second reason for stress relieving would
be for a very complex die where distortion of the die is of great concern.

Stress tempering is done on dies that have been hardened at a temperature of

around 1000°F, or 50°F below the highest tempering temperature which has
previously been used during heat treatment of the die. This stress tempering is
performed in the following cases:
• After any EDM work (mandatory).

19
 • After final machining (mandatory).
• After weld repair of a finished die (mandatory).
• Prior to weld repair of a finished die (desired).
• After the die has been in service for a predetermined number shots
(desired).

It is this scheduled stress tempering that serves to relieve the tensile stresses
that build up on the surface of a die during its use in production. This process is
also commonly referred to as stress relieving throughout the industry. However,
it is important to know the difference in practice. If stress tempering was actually
done when stress relieving was the correct process, it would not be a fatal
mistake. The opposite mistake, in which a finished, hardened die is stress
relieved (1250°F) will most likely cause the die to be much too soft for a normal
die life.

During die casting, the surface of the die is subjected to thermal strains derived
from the variations in temperature. This repeated straining results in residual
stresses being generated in the surface of the die, as discussed in detail in the
previous section. In most cases, such residual stresses will be tensile in nature
and thereby assist the initiation of heat checking cracks. Stress tempering the
die will reduce the level of residual tensile stress and thereby enhance die life.
Generally, it is recommended that stress tempering be performed after the
running-in period of the die and then after 1000-2000 and 5,000-10,000 shots.
The procedure is then repeated for each additional 10,000-20,000 shots, so long
as the die exhibits only minor amounts of heat checking. However, there is little
point in stress tempering a heat checked die because the formation of surface
cracks in itself reduces the level of residual stress, unless compressive induced
(not compressive relieving) is to be performed on the die.

Stress tempering is best carried out at temperature about 50°F below the highest
tempering temperature which has previously been used during heat treatment of

20
the die. Normally, two hours holding time at temperature should be sufficient.
Several companies that provide stress tempering services for the die casting
industry contributed to the development of this guide. They are listed below and
can be contacted for additional technical information.
• Century Sun Metal Treating, Traverse City, Michigan.
• Paulo Products Company, St. Louis, Missouri.
• Schmolz-Bickenbach, Chicago, Illinois.
• Therm-Tech of Waukesha, Waukesha, Wisconsin.

Generic Shot Peening

Shot peening of steel can be traced to the 11th century when a special brand of
European sword was peened to give it extended life and improved performance,
along with resistance to breakage. Most swords were manufactured thick and
heavy to keep them from breaking, but it took a great deal of strength and energy
to use one in battle. If you were wealthy, however, you could go to Toledo,
Spain, and buy the latest technology in swords. The cunning Toledo blacksmiths
had developed a thinner, lightweight, well balanced weapon that would hold a
sharp edge, and could be bent almost double, over and over, without breaking.
Their art was never revealed even after swords gave way to firearms as the
primary weapon of war.

In the 1970’s some engineers again delved into the mystery of the Toledo
blades. This time they re-examined them using modern X-ray diffraction
methods. To their surprise they found that the blades had been peened, not with
shot as is done today, but with ball peen hammers. Many centuries after the
Toledo sword was no longer of importance, peening was rediscovered and used
extensively in the U.S. automotive industry. Up to that time, sand was being
used to de-scale large steel leaf springs after they were heat treated, but the
process was dirty and dusty and created a poor environment for workers. To
improve the environmental conditions, steel shot (1/16” diameter or less)
replaced the sand to de-scale the springs. General Motors noted that these

21
peened springs were lasting longer and had fewer breakage problems. Upon
examination, they found that the tiny balls of steel bombarding the surface of the
springs were cold working the material and creating a permanent compressive
zone. From this experience shot peening was born. Today it is used in critical
parts for airplanes, helicopters, automobile engines and transmissions, nuclear
reactors, and even artificial hearts.

Generic shot peening is a cold working process in which the surface of the die is
bombarded with small spherical media called shot. Each piece of shot striking
the metal acts as a tiny peening hammer imparting a small indentation or dimple
on the surface. In order for the dimple to be created, the surface layer of the
metal must yield in tension. This is shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5. Mechanical Yielding at Point of Impact

Below the surface, the compressed grains try to restore the surface to its original
shape producing a hemisphere of cold-worked metal highly stressed in
compression. This can be seen in Figure 6. Overlapping dimples develop a
uniform layer of residual compressive stress.

22
 Figure 6. Compression Resulting from Impact

It is well known by metallurgists that cracks will not initiate nor propagate in a
compressively stressed zone. Because nearly all fatigue and stress corrosion
failures originate at or near the surface of a die casting die, compressive stresses
induced by shot peening can provide significant increases in die life. The
magnitude of residual compressive stress produced by shot peening can be as
great as half the tensile strength of the material being peened.

In most modes of long term failure of die casting dies the common denominator
is tensile stress. Tensile stresses attempt to stretch or pull the surface apart and
may eventually lead to crack initiation. This can be seen in Figure 7.

Figure 7. Crack Initiation and Growth

Through Tensile Stress

Compressive stress squeezes the surface grain boundaries together and will
delay the initiation of fatigue cracking. Because crack growth is slowed in a
compressive layer, increasing the depth of this layer increases the crack
resistance. Shot peening is a very economical and practical method of ensuring

23
that die surfaces have residual compressive stresses. In the remainder of this
section, several aspects of shot peening for die casting dies are presented.
These include considerations for the depth of the residual stress, control of the
peening process, and future peening technologies.

The depth of the residual compressive stress imparted to a steel die is influenced
by variations in peening parameters and the peen material hardness. The media
most commonly used for shot peening consists of small spheres of cast steel,
conditioned cut wire (both carbon and stainless steel), and ceramic or glass
materials. Most often cast or wrought carbon steel is employed. Stainless steel
media is used in applications where iron contamination is of concern. Carbon
steel cut wire, conditioned into near round shapes, is being specified more
frequently due to its uniformity. Glass beads are also used where iron
contamination is of concern. They are generally smaller and lighter than other
media and can be used to peen into sharp radii of threads and on delicate parts
where very low intensities are required.

The hardness of the shot will also influence the magnitude of the compressive
stresses. This can be seen in Figure 8. The peening media should be at least
as hard as or harder than the tools being peened, unless surface finish is a
critical factor.

24
 Figure 8. Effect of 46Rc and 61Rc Media on
Compressive Stress Imparted to Die by MetaLL*ife®

Media of 45-52 HRC is commonly used and is effective, but is not as good at
developing the required compressive stress as higher hardness material in the
55-62 HRC range. While higher hardness material is more expensive, it can be
used to assure the maximum depth and high compression values needed. The
harder media is essential when processing nitrided or nitro carburized die steels.

The control of the peening process is an important part of successfully imparting

the required compressive stress to the surface of the die. Peening is a line-of-
sight process and access to the surface is important. When the depth of an
internal blind bore is greater than the diameter of the hole it cannot be effectively
processed by external methods. Special internal lances have been developed,
however, that eliminate this limitation when used under closely controlled
conditions. This equipment makes it possible to peen holes as small as 0.096
inches (2.4 mm) in diameter.

25
Another consideration in shot peening is that controlling the process is different
from many manufacturing processes in that there is no nondestructive method to
confirm that it has been performed to the proper specification. Techniques such
as X-ray diffraction require that a part be sacrificed to generate a full
compressive depth profile analysis. It is important that the following variables be
maintained to ensure repeatable peening specifications.

First, the peening media integrity must be maintained. The media must be
predominantly round and when media breaks down from usage; the broken
media must be immediately removed to prevent surface damage. Also, the
peening media must be of a uniform diameter. If a mixed size batch of media is
used for peening the larger media will drive a deeper residual compressive layer,
resulting in a non-uniform stress layer. Special classification equipment is
needed to assure meeting these criteria.

Second, the shot peening intensity must be consistent. In order to accomplish

this, metal strips of various thicknesses are processed along with the part. The
compressive stress on the metal strip causes the strip to bend. The intensity of
the peening can then be measured by the deflection of the metal strip. Such
process controls are necessary to insure consistency each time a die or insert is
processed. Verification of the coverage of the peening over the entire part must
also be made. This is done using a special fluorescent dye on the part surface.
After the part has been processed, inspection under a UV (black) light permits
verification that the entire surface has been peened in accordance with
specifications. Special patents apply to inspection of coverage by this method.

Finally, the future of shot peening is likely to be laser peening. Development

projects at Livermore Labs have resulted in initial commercial applications in
medical, aerospace, and military applications. The process uses a unique
Nd:glass, high output, high repetition laser in conjunction with precision robotic
manipulation of the part to be laser peened. During the laser peening process,

26
the laser is fired at the surface of a metal part to generate pressure pulses of one
million pounds per square inch, which sends shock waves through the part.
Multiple firings of the laser is what creates the pre-defined surface pattern and
imparts a layer of compressive stress on the surface that is four times deeper
than that attainable from current peening technology. The primary benefit of
laser peening is a very deep compressive layer with minimal cold working, which
increases the component’s resistance to failure mechanisms such a fatigue,
thermal shock fatigue, and heat checking.

For more information on shot peening of die casting dies to reduce heat
checking, please contact Badger Metal Tech Incorporated in Menomonee Falls,
Wisconsin, which provided technical assistance in the preparation of this guide or
use their website as a reference (http://www.badgermetal.com/).

Die life compressive stress relieving, by definition, removes compressive

protection and should not be confused with MetaLL*ife®.

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27
 V. NADCA Recommendations

The North American Die Casting Association has produced a publication (#E-
501) entitled “Care and Maintenance of Die Casting Dies – Manual and
Checklist” for use by the die casting industry in maximizing the useful life of dies.
The publication was created by members of the NADCA Die Materials
Committee in cooperation with Professors J. Wallace and D. Schwam of Case
Western Reserve University. This publication was intended to be used as a
foundation upon which to build a more extensive die care maintenance program.

In the Care and Maintenance of Die Casting Dies publication it is recommended

that dies be stress relieved (stress tempered) every 25,000 shots. Other times to
stress relieve (temper) are after initial sampling and after any die repair or
change that includes welding, EDM, heavy grinding, or polishing. At the first sign
of heat checking, the die should be polished out and then stress relieved
(tempered) at 950°F. After final sample approval, the die surface can be treated
with a nitro-carburizing treatment to improve its surface behavior if desired.

The publication goes on to recommend that after final sample approval, micro-
precision shot peening should be considered. This process places the die
surface in a highly compressive state and favorable results have been reported
from the field for a reduction in thermal fatigue cracking (heat checking). The
micro-precision peening should be repeated at the normal untreated half-life of
the tool. For example, if the die normally would get 120,000 shots, the half-life
would be at 60,000 shots. Applications may need to be more frequent depending
on the tendency for heat checking of the surface of the die. If applied correctly,
stress tempering, nitro-carburizing, and shot peening may be used together.

The recommendations provided by NADCA are consistent with research results

and were developed by experts in the die casting field. Die casting companies

28
could benefit significantly by incorporating the recommendations into die design,
die construction and die maintenance procedures.

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29
 VI. Feedback from Die Casting Companies

During the development of this guide, suppliers and die casters were solicited for
their comments on the use of thermal stress relieving and shot peening to extend
the life of die casting dies and minimize the degree of heat checking experienced
on dies in production. In this section, those comments are presented for the
benefit of those utilizing this guide.

It was surprising during the accumulation of these comments that some die
casters religiously utilize thermal stress relieving or MetaLL*ife® because of the
benefits derived, while others claimed that they had seen no benefit from the use
of these technologies. Such is the nature of die casting. There is no magic
formula that applies to every die caster. The success of these techniques is
dependent on many variables, such as the types of castings produced, the alloys
being cast, the volume of parts being produced, the surface conditions required
for the castings produced, the cost structure of the particular die caster, and the
technical resources available to the company.

The comments are divided into three categories. The first group is from those
companies, both die casters and die shops, who utilize thermal stress relieving
as a part of their tooling maintenance programs. The second group of comments
is from die casters who utilize shot peening to extend the life of their dies. The
third group of comments is from die casters who claim that neither stress
relieving nor shot peening has proved cost effective for them. None of the
companies are identified, but their comments are mostly quoted verbatim and
may be of interest to the readers of this guide.

Comments from Users of Thermal Stress Tempering

• “We utilize stress tempering after any machining of hardened dies. We
also stress temper both before and after welding on a hardened die. We
haven’t always tempered both before and after welding, but the welds

30
 often failed in service, sometimes big cracks and sometimes only spider
cracks. Since adopting this practice we haven’t had a problem in years.”

• A die caster reported that they had been diligently stress relieving for 15
years. They stress relieve at a minimum of every 50,000 shots on zinc
tools and every 5,000 shots on aluminum parts with large cross sections
and deep heat-sink ribs. Thinner cross sectioned aluminum parts with
shallow impressions are stress relieved every 10,000-15,000 shots. New
tools are stress relieved after the first sample, after the second sample,
and after the first 5,000 production shots. All stress relieving is done at
1000°F in their own furnace. The furnace is calibrated every quarter. For
zinc parts they have been running for 22 years, die life has been improved
from 200,000-300,000 shots to 1.2-1.4 million shots.
• “We stress temper any tool with a volume of over 50,000 a year on a
quarterly basis. On some higher volume tools it is more like every other
month. We have furnace capabilities in house so we generally stick to the
schedule. We generally bring the block to 950 degrees F +/- 50 degrees
and hold the block there for one hour per inch of thickness and then air
cool. This serves two purposes: one, it re-oxidizes the surface of the steel
and two, we get the stress temper benefit.”

Comments from Users of MetaLL*ife®

• "We are very pleased with the performance of tooling for our parking
meter castings after application of MetaLL*ife®. The dies no longer stick,
solder, or drag. We also noticed that the heat checking on the older tools
is considerably reduced with much better casting appearance. Flow is
also improved."
• "After applying MetaLL*ife® to a small barber utility tool, we were notified
by our polisher that the casting from this tool was taking less time to buff
which we attribute to improved surface characteristics, a reduction in

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 hidden porosity and better casting fill. The cosmetic requirement of this
tool was such that the slightest imperfection in the surface would show
after painting which was unacceptable."
• "We have set up a schedule to do MetaLL*ife® on all of our big runner
dies every 30,000 shots. We are seeing considerable benefit in our
casting appearance by incorporating peening as a scheduled maintenance
procedure."
• "We have been using MetaLL*ife® since 1996 to retard heat checking
and extend our tool life. We have also noted better paint adhesion due to
the textured surface. We use a powder paint system that causes our paint
to grab the surface better after peening. The powder paint also has a
more even appearance. The texturing also helps casting fill
characteristics."
• "We have several parts that we do a periodic MetaLL*ife® to and this does
seem to give us a longer life. All tools that we do a peening process to get
stress tempered at the same time so I can not tell you if the shot peening
alone is helping us or the stress temper or both."

Comments of Die Casters Not Using Stress Relieving or generic shot peening
• “We played with these techniques several years ago, and did not see any
significant improvement in the die life results. At this point all new inserts
are stress-relieved at the die shops when they are shipped to our plant.
No other treatments are given after they are put on the machines. Our
dies are averaging about 300,000 shots, and some of them are showing
over 400,000 shots. We achieve this by having good quality steel, fast
quench rate, and consistent cycle time on the machine. All of our dies are
designed to have a lot of internal cooling passages to minimize the
amount of spray. I think this also contributes to our long die life. We do
not see a need for these treatments because most of the failure modes we
have are related to parting line crashing and slide wear, and not much to

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 heat checking, to which these treatments may be beneficial. We are
proud of the die life we get on our dies.”
• “We did a two year study of die life and failure on continuous running
dies. Our experience is that die life can certainly hide heat checks and
may provide some aesthetic value but no significant die life improvement
was noted. We applied to several dies after sampling and in every case
we got in trouble because of damage to the cavity detail. I would strongly
urge that if this process is used it should be done prior to the customer
receiving castings. The stress relief of dies is a much more difficult issue.
The research done by Professor Schwam has shown significant benefit in
this practice, yet we tried hard and could not realize the results in our
practice. We did not measure or quantify crack length, rather used the
visual criteria mandated by our customer. We did not see any significant
difference; hence we have since halted the practice.”

It is difficult to draw any precise conclusions from these comments. Some users
seem committed to the practice of stress relieving dies regularly and others
utilize shot peening to reduce heat checking and provide other process
enhancements. Some die casters seem to follow the NADCA recommendation
of shot peening and stress tempering dies on a scheduled basis. However, the
research results and the comments above strongly suggest that each die caster
should evaluate the cost effectiveness of these techniques for their operation.
Certainly, the cost of disassembling and reassembling a die may be prohibitive
for some die casters. However, others may do this routinely for other purposes.
Each die caster must evaluate the costs and benefits of using these techniques
to reduce heat checking and extend the life of dies.

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33
 VII. Summary and Recommendations

The previous sections of this guide have provided comprehensive information on

the practice of stress tempering die casting dies to improve their life, as well as
the utilization of shot peening to accomplish the same purpose. Technical
reports on research activities in these areas have been referenced and in some
cases quoted directly. Information has been gathered from both vendors and die
casters on the usefulness of stress tempering and shot peening of die casting
dies. Some users strongly recommend both processes while others have been
unable to see the benefits. In some cases, research results have strongly
supported the technologies, but the experience of production die casters has not
validated the research results. In this section, the technical information is
summarized and general recommendations are provided.

Summary
Research results and technical studies seem to agree that the cause of heat
checking in die casting dies is thermal cycling on the surface of the die, which
results in tensile stresses being established on the die surface. These tensile
stresses can occur in as few as 10 shots on a die that was essentially without
surface stress in the beginning. When these tensile stresses exceed the hot
strength of the die material they initiate small cracks at stress risers on the
surface of the die caused by surface imperfections or even material grain
boundaries. Once the cracks appear the tensile stresses are relieved. As the
die continues the thermal cycling, the tensile stresses appear once again and the
cracks continue to grow over time.

One technical paper reviewed during the preparation of this guide provided the
following conclusions5:
• The basic material properties affecting heat checking resistance favorably
are high hardness, high hot yield strength, high temper resistance, good
ductility and high thermal conductivity.

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 • EDM machine surfaces examined in this investigation have not
significantly different heat checking properties than a conventionally
grinded surface.
• Nitrided and especially CVD-coated surfaces have an excellent resistance
against crack initiation. However, as soon as initiation occurs, crack
propagation is very rapid.
• Heavily shot peened or milled surfaces both show a high resistance to
heat checking. An increase of the surface hardness due to cold working
may be one explanation to the results.
• Stress tempering at regular intervals lowers the tensile stresses and has a
beneficial effect on the heat checking resistance.

The study summarized above also determined that the size and hardness of the
steel shot used for shot peening and the intensity of the peening greatly affected
the reduction in heat checking. In the study, the hardest steel shot with a
medium level of intensity produced significantly better heat checking resistance
that the other combinations tested. This result points to the importance of the
technical expertise and experience required by the vendor that provides shot
peening services to die casting dies.

Recommendations
The development of specific recommendations for a general audience of
unknown circumstances and experience is difficult, if not an unreasonable
expectation. In order to be useful to the industry, however, some general
recommendations need to be provided. The following recommendations are
given in an effort to provide direction for those interested in minimizing the effects
of heat checking on their dies. They are supported by the technical evidence
provided in this guide and are practiced by a number of die casting companies in
the industry. They may not provide sufficient advantage for all die casters in all
markets or in all situations, but should be evaluated thoroughly to determine their
cost effectiveness.

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 1. Dies should be stress relieved (stress tempered) after any EDM work on
the die.
2. Dies should be stress tempered both before and after any weld repair of a
finished die.
3. Stress tempering should be performed on die casting dies after the initial
die sampling and then on a scheduled basis, depending on the severity
and importance of heat checking on each die. This stress tempering
should be carried out at a temperature about 50°F below the highest
tempering temperature which has previously been used during heat
treatment of the die. The purpose of this tempering is to reduce the
surface stress of the die to near zero.
4. Shot peening, when applied effectively, should be utilized following stress
tempering to create a compressive stress on the die surface, which further
reduces the tendency of the die to heat check and can delay the growth of
existing surface cracks. In order to maximize the compressive stress, dies
should be shot peened after each stress temper to renew the compressive
stress on the die surface. Some die casters have been successful by shot
peening only after every second stress temper.
5. The technical knowledge and experience of those providing stress
tempering services and especially shot peening services is critical to the
successful use of these techniques. Both processes are highly technical
and diligence must be exercised to confirm the technical competence of
potential suppliers.

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36
 Technical References

1. “A Computer-Aided Investigation of Heat Checking and Die Life

Predictions in Die Casting Dies,” Christopher Rosbrook and Rajiv Shivpuri,
NADCA Congress, Paper T93-071, October, 1993.
2. “Early Residual Stress Development in Aluminum Die Casting Dies,”
Edward Courtright, Nicholas Klymyshyn, Thomas Watkins, and Rod
Whitbeck, NADCA Congress, Paper T01-104, October, 2001.
3. “Initiation and Propagation of Heat Checking and Variation of Residual
Stress in Aluminum Die Casting Dies,” Shogo Iwanaga, NADCA
Congress, Paper T97-081, November, 1997.
4. “Control of Die Steels and Processing to Extend Die Life,” John Wallace
and David Schwam, NADCA Congress, Paper T99-102, October, 1999.
5. “Effect of Different Parameters on Heat Checking Properties of Hot Work
Tool Steels,” Lena Eliasson and Odd Sandberg, 2nd Annual Tooling
Conference, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, September, 1989.

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