Effect of Cryogenic Treatment on Microstructure, Mechanical Properties and Distortion of Carburized Gear Steels

The effects of cryogenic treatment and low temperature tempering on the microstructure, mechanical properties and distortion of the 20Cr2Ni4A and 17Cr2Ni2MoVNb carburized gear steels were investigated. The results showed that the case hardness of the experimental steels was increased after the cryogenic treatment, due to the decrease of the retained austenite content and the precipitation of the tiny carbides. The wear resistance of the two steels after cryogenic treatment was improved, although the wear mechanisms were different for 17Cr2Ni2MoVNb and 20Cr2Ni4A steels. The distortion of the Navy C-ring specimens underwent shrinkage before expansion during the cryogenic process, and the distortion of 17Cr2Ni2MoVNb steel was smaller than that of 20Cr2Ni4A steel.

Bending Fatigue Behaviour and Fatigue Endurance Limit Prediction of 20Cr2Ni4A Gear Steel after the Ultrasonic Surface Rolling Process

To study the effect of the surface properties on the bending fatigue performance of heavy-duty gear steel, the authors of this paper used the ultrasonic surface rolling process (USRP) to strengthen 20Cr2Ni4A carburized gear steel. USRP is a novel technique in which the ultrasonic technology is incorporated into the concept of conventional deep rolling. In this study, we illustrated how the surface properties and cross-section mechanical property influence the three-point bending fatigue life of the samples before and after USRP treatment. At the same time, the predicted failure probability-stress-number of cycles (P-S-N) curve was drawn, and the fatigue fracture was analysed. The results show that the fatigue limit increased from 651.36 MPa to 918.88 MPa after USRP treatment. The fatigue source is mainly from the sample interior or surface scratches, and the fatigue performance is positively correlated with the results of the material surface roughness, surface residual stress and surface hardness. At the same time, combined with the change in the phase structure, dislocation structure, residual stress and hardness of the cross section of the material, it is found that the USRP process turns the steel into a gradient material with five layers. Finally, the coupling mechanism between the ultrasonic surface strengthening deformation layer and the carburized layer of 20Cr2Ni4A carburized gear steel is presented, and the grain structure distribution diagram of the section of the 20Cr2Ni4A model after surface strengthening treatment was simulated. The mechanism that influenced the fatigue performance after USRP treatment is explained from the perspectives of the surface and cross section of the samples.

Evaluation of contact fatigue risk of a carburized gear considering gradients of mechanical properties

Carburized gears are widely used in geared machines such as wind turbines. Contact fatigue problems occur in engineering practice, reducing reliabilities of machines. Contact fatigue failures are related to many factors, such as gradients of mechanical properties of the hardening layer. In this work, an elastic-plastic contact model of a carburized gear is developed based on the finite element method to evaluate contact fatigue failure risk, considering variations in hardness and strength. The Dang Van multiaxial equivalent stress is calculated via Python coding within the Abaqus framework. The gradient of yield strength along the depth from case to core is considered. The concept of local material fatigue failure risk is defined to evaluate the probability of pitting failure. The effects of design factors, such as the case hardening depth (CHD), surface hardness, and contact pressure on fatigue failure risk, are studied. As the CHD increases or the surface hardness decreases, the risk of deep spalling failure reduces. The increase in surface hardness leads to a decreased risk of pitting failure, while the variation in CHD hardly affects the pitting failure risk.