Effect of Valence Electron Structure on Temper Process and Hardness of the Supersaturated Carburized Layer

By measuring the hardness of carburized layer of a new type supersaturated carburizing steel （35Cr3SiMnMoV） at different temper temperature for 2 h, the relationship curve between the carburized layer hardness and the temper temperature is established. The result indicates that the hardness goes down firstly, then up and down, just like a wave consistent with the temperature increase. A secondary hardening peak appears at 570 ℃ or so. Based on Empirical Election Theory （EET） of Solids and Molecules, the valence electron structures （VESs） containing α-Fe-C, α-Fe-C-Me segregation structure units and carbide are calculated. The laws of temper process and hardness change with the temper temperature are explained, and the fact that reconstruction of θ-Fe3C is prior to that of special carbide at high tempering is analyzed with the phase structure formation factor, S, being taken into consideration. Therefore, the laws of temper process and hardness change of supersaturated carburized layer at different temper temperature can be traced back to valence electron structure （VES） level of alloy phase.

Application of Empirical Electron Theory of Solids and Molecules to Composition Design of Multi-Component Medium-Low-Alloy Steels

For austenitic octahedral segregation structure units, their pure mathematics statistic distribu!ive probability is calculated by the empirical electron theory （EET） of solids and molecules and K-B formula. The practical distributive probability can be obtained only if the statistic distribution of austenitic octahedral segregation structure units and the interaction of the alloying elements in steel are considered. Based on 8 groups of experimental data of original steels, three empirical formulas revealing relationships between material macromechanics factor （Sm） and tensile strength （ab）, or impact energy （AK）, or hardness （HRC） of multi-component medium-low-alloy steels were established, respectively. Through the three empirical formulas, new supersaturated carburizing steel has been successfully designed and developed. The other 2 groups of the original experimental steels are used as the standard steel for testing the percentage error of the new steel. The results show that the calculated values are well consistent with those of measured ones and the new supersaturated carburized steel can meet the requirements of the die assembly of cold-drawn seamless stainless steel tube of Taiyuan Iron ＆ Steel （Group） Company LTD.

FATIGUE BEHAVIOR OF CARBURIZED STEEL BEFORE CRACK INITIATION

The fatigue behavior of quenched plus tempered carburized steel before crack initiation has been observed in tension-tension fatigue tests.It was found that fatigue softening and fatigue hardening coexist in this steel.A transition region near the ease depth of the steel divides the cross section of a round speeimen into two parts:the softened part outwards and the hardened part inwards.The degree of fatigue softening in the case and fatigue hardening in the core is increased with the maximum applied cyclic stress and the number of cycles.

Microstructures in a carburized steel after isothermal pearlitic treatment

The influence of carbon concentration variations on pearlite formation(20 h at 600℃)in a case-carburized steel is investigated.The resultant microstructure shows three distinct regions:carburized case,a transition region,and the original core.The microstructural transition from the case to the core regions is observed to be relatively sharp.The investigated region of the carburized case(0.9 wt.%C)con-tains two types of pearlite:ferrite+cementite and ferrite+M_(23)C_(6),where the pearlitic aggregate with M_(23)C_(6)shows faster formation kinetics.The kinetics of pearlite formation in the transition region(0.3 wt.%C)is very slow and is observed with only M_(23)C_(6)carbide.Only around 40%austenite decomposes into pearlite in the transition region,which,in comparison to the carburized case region of 0.9 wt.%C is a fraction that is lower by a factor of two.Pearlite is absent in the investigated core region(0.16 wt.%C).The microstructure in this region is predominantly martensite and pro-eutectoid ferrite,with a fraction of ferrite well below the equilibrium fraction.Ferrite formation in this region is limited by the redistribution of mainly Ni,Mn,and Cr,and their resulting solute drag effect on the austenite/ferrite interface.A ther-modynamic and kinetic argumentation of these observations is provided with the help of thermodynamic data,precipitation simulations,and a general mixed-mode Gibbs energy balance model.

Effect of Deep Cryogenic Heat Treatment on the Wear Behavior of Carburized DIN 1.7131 Grade Steel

The effects of the deep cryogenic heat treatment on the microstructural changes,wear resistance,and hardness of carburized DIN 1.7131 grade steel were investigated.Results show that cryogenic heat treatment reduced the retained austenite and increased the carbide amount.In addition,after the cryogenic heat treatment,carbide shows a more uniform distribution,as compared to the conventionally treated ones.It was also clarified that the hardness of the cryogenically treated samples was improved,but the relative improvement decreases with the distance as the surface increases.It has been shown that the wear resistance improves due to the cryogenic heat treatment,and the predominant wear mechanism is a combination of the adhesive and tribo-chemical wear.

Rolling Contact Fatigue Properties of SAE 8620 Steel after Case Carburizing

Rolling contact fatigue（RCF）properties of SAE 8620 steel after case carburizing have been investigated under two contact stresses of 4.0and 5.5GPa.Results show that the RCF life ranges from 2.5×10^6 to 3×10^7 cycles under the contact stress of 5.5GPa,while it can be more than 1×10^8 cycles under the contact stress of 4.0GPa.The rated fatigue life L_（10）（lives with the 10%failure）is also drastically shortened from 9.8×10^6 to 5.4×10^5 cycles when the contact stress is increased from 4.0to 5.5GPa.Theoretical calculations and fractographs show that the maximum shear stress and the contact area increase with increasing the contact stress,making RCF tend to occur earlier.