Effect of combined treatment of carburizing and shot peening on torsional fatigue properties of a gear bearing steel

doi:10.13251/j.issn.0254-6051.2025.05.001

Abstract

Abstract: Torsional fatigue behavior of a USCB gear bearing steel was studied through the combined treatment of carburized and shot peening, in order to optimize the process parameters and explore the torsional fatigue cracking mechanism. The results show that the carburized layer of the USCB gear bearing steel is mainly composed of martensite and a large number of long strip or elliptic carbides. After shot peening, the torsional fatigue strength increases somewhat, and with the increase of shot peening intensity, the torsional fatigue strength increases first and then decreases, and the optimal torsional fatigue strength is obtained when the shot peening intensity is 0.2 mmA. Torsional fatigue cracking is caused by cleavage cracking of large size carbide clusters. The crack initiation plane is 45° from the loading axis, and the crack initiation is dominated by normal stress. Accordingly, when the fast prediction model of torsional fatigue strength of carburized gear bearing steel proposed earlier is applied to the tested USCB gear bearing steel, the prediction error is about 10%, and the accuracy is better than the Murakami model.

Key words: gear bearing steel, carburizing, shot peening, torsional fatigue properties, carbides, fatigue strength prediction

CLC Number:

TG142.1

Fang Bin, Xu Zikuan, Chen Weihao, Gu Jinbo, Chi Hongxiao, Wang Bin, Zhang Peng, Zhang Zhefeng. Effect of combined treatment of carburizing and shot peening on torsional fatigue properties of a gear bearing steel[J]. Heat Treatment of Metals, 2025, 50(5): 1-8.

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