Study on Laser Transformation Hardening of HT250 by High Speed Axis Flow CO_2 Laser

In this article, laser transformation hardening of HT250 material by high speed axis flow CO2 laser was investigated for first time in China. Appropriate laser hardening parameters, such as laser energy power P(W), laser scanning rate V(m/min), were optimized through a number of experiments. The effect of the mentioned parameters on the hardened zone, including its case depth, microhardness distributions etc., were analyzed. Through the factual experiments, it is proved that axial flow CO2laser, which commonly outputs low mode laser beam, can also treat materials as long as the treating parameters used are rational. During the experiments, the surface qualities of some specimens treated by some parameters were found to be enhanced, which does not coincide with the former results. Furthermore in the article, the abnormal phenomenon observed in the experiments is discussed. According to the experimental results, the relationship between laser power density q and scanning rate V is shown in a curve and the corresponding formulation, which have been proved to be valuable for choosing the parameters of laser transformation hardening by axial flow CO2 lasers, was also given.

Effect of Sulfur Content and Sulfide Shape on Fracture Ductility in Case Hardening Steel

The effects of sulfur content and calcium addition on smooth axisymmetric tensile fracture ductility of case hardening steel DIN 18CrNiMo7-6 have been investigated. The quantitative metallographic analysis of sulfide inclusions and the correlations between sulfide inclusions and fracture ductility were examined. Sulfide inclusions were found to have deleterious effect on fracture ductility, whereas the effect can be offset to some extent by calcium-treat- ment due to less easily deforming of sulfides during hot-working. The product （AA·λAW） of sulfide inclusion area fraction （An） and its area-weighted aspect ratio （λAW） can be used as a parameter to describe the effect of sulfide inclusions on fracture true strain.

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.

Comparison of microstructure and heat treatment distortion of gear steels with and without Nb addition

In order to research the effect of microalloying Nb,the microstructure and heat treatment distortion of case carburizing steels with and without Nb addition are compared.Results show that a uniform and fine prior austenite grain size was obtained for the steel with the addition of 0.03 wt.%Nb even after being carburized at 980℃for 37 h,resulting in a very deep hardened layer of about 4 mm.Nb is an effective microalloying element to hinder austenite grain growth of gears during high-temperature carburizing.Theoretical calculation and experimental observation of NbC precipitates indicate that fine NbC precipitates have not evidently dissolved at 980℃,and thus they can act as grain refiners due to pinning effect.Heat treatment distortion of Nb-added steel is much lower than that of the steel without Nb addition.It may be contributed to its fine and uniform grain size,which presumably influences stress during martensitic transformation.