Development of and Perspective on High-Performance Nanostructured Bainitic Bearing Steel

Bearings are the most important component of nearly all mechanical equipment, as they guarantee the steady running of the equipment, which is especially important for high-end equipment such as highspeed trains and shield tunneling machines. Requirements regarding the quality of bearings are increasing with the rapid development in technology. A country’s bearings manufacturing level directly reflects the level of that country’s steel metallurgy and machinery manufacturing. The performance of the bearing steel is the critical factor that determines the quality of a bearing. The development of new bearing steel with higher performance is the ambition of material researchers and the expectation of the manufacturing industry. Many famous bearing manufacturing enterprises are competing to develop the new generation of bearing steel. Nanostructured bainitic bearing steel (NBBS), which is a newly developed bearing steel, not only possesses high strength and toughness, but also exhibits excellent wear resistance and rolling contact fatigue (RCF) resistance. In recent years, relevant achievements in NBBS in China have led to significant progress in this field. NBBS was first used in China to manufacture large bearings for wind turbines and heavy-duty bearings, with excellent performance. As a result, NBBS and its corresponding heat-treatment process have been included in the national and industry standards for the first time. The bearing industry considers the exploitation of NBBS to be epoch-making, and has termed this kind of bearing as the second generation of bainitic bearing. In this paper, the development of NBBS is reviewed in detail, including its advantages and disadvantages. Further research directions for NBBS are also proposed.

Characteristics of Al_2O_3, MnS, and TiN inclusions in the remelting process of bearing steel

The Al_2O_3, MnS, and TiN inclusions in bearing steel will deteriorate the steel's mechanical properties. Therefore, elucidating detailed characteristics of these inclusions in consumable electrode during the electroslag remelting process is important for achieving a subsequently clean ingot. In this study, a confocal scanning violet laser microscope was used to simulate the remelting process and observe, in real time, the behaviors of inclusions. The obtained images show that, after the temperature exceeded the steel solidus temperature, MnS and TiN inclusions in the specimen began to dissolve. Higher temperatures led to faster dissolution, and the inclusions disappeared before the steel was fully liquid. In the case of an observed Al_2O_3 inclusion, its shape changed from angular to a smooth ellipsoid in the region where the solid and liquid coexisted and it began to dissolve as the temperature continued to increase. This dissolution was driven by the difference in oxygen potential between the inclusion and the liquid steel.

Effect of slag on oxide inclusions in carburized bearing steel during industrial electroslag remelting

Industrial experiments with three types of slags were performed to investigate the effect of slag on oxide inclusions during electroslag remelting(ESR) process. G20CrNi2Mo bearing steel was used as the consumable electrode and remelted using a 2400-kg industrial furnace. The results showed that most inclusions in the electrode were low-melting-point CaO-MgO-Al_2O_3. After ESR, all the inclusions in ingots were located outside the liquid region. When the slag consisted of 65.70 wt% CaF_2, 28.58 wt% Al_2O_3, and 4.42 wt% CaO was used, pure Al_2O_3 were the dominant inclusions in ingot, some of which presented a clear trend of agglomeration. When the ingot was remelted by a multi-component slag with 16.83 wt% CaO, a certain amount of sphere CaAl_4O_7 inclusions larger than 5 μm were generated in ingot. The slag with 8.18 wt% CaO exhibited greater capacity to control the inclusion characteristics. Thermodynamic calculations indicated that the total Ca and Mg in ingots were attributed from the relics in electrode and strongly influenced by the slag composition. The formation of ingot inclusions was calculated by FactSage^(TM) 7.0, and the results were basically in accordance with the observed inclusions, indicating that a quasi-thermodynamic equilibrium could be obtained in the metal pool.

Development and prospects of molten steel deoxidation in steelmaking process

In the long traditional process of steelmaking,excess oxygen is blown into the converter,and alloying elements are used for deoxidation.This inevitably results in excessive deoxidation of products remaining within the steel liquid,affecting the cleanliness of the steel.With the increasing requirements for steel performance,reducing the oxygen content in the steel liquid and ensuring its high cleanliness is necessary.After more than a hundred years of development,the total oxygen content in steel has been reduced from approximately 100×10^(-6)to approximately 10×10^(-6),and it can be controlled below 5×10^(-6)in some steel grades.A relatively stable and mature deoxidation technology has been formed,but further reducing the oxygen content in steel is no longer significant for improving steel quality.Our research team developed a deoxidation technology for bearing steel by optimizing the entire conventional process.The technology combines silicon–manganese predeoxidation,ladle furnace diffusion deoxidation,and vacuum final deoxidation.We successfully conducted industrial experiments and produced interstitial-free steel with natural decarbonization predeoxidation.Non-aluminum deoxidation was found to control the oxygen content in bearing steel to between 4×10^(-6) and 8×10^(-6),altering the type of inclusions,eliminating large particle Ds-type inclusions,improving the flowability of the steel liquid,and deriving a higher fatigue life.The natural decarbonization predeoxidation of interstitial-free steel reduced aluminum consumption and production costs and significantly improved the quality of cast billets.

Effect of main inclusions on crack initiation in bearing steel in the very high cycle fatigue regime

This work aims to investigate the effect of main inclusions on crack initiation in bearing steel in the very high cycle fatigue（VHCF） regime. The size and type of inclusions in the steel were quantitatively analyzed, and VHCF tests were performed. Some fatigue cracks were found to be initiated in the gaps between inclusions（Al2 O3, Mg O-Al2 O3） and the matrix, while other cracks originated from the interior of inclusions（Ti N, Mn S）. To explain the related mechanism, the tessellated stresses between inclusions and the matrix were calculated and compared with the yield stress of the matrix. Results revealed that the inclusions could be classified into two types under VHCF; of these two, only one type could be regarded as holes. Findings in this research provide a better understanding of how inclusions affect the high cycle fatigue properties of bearing steel.

MICROSTRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES OF HIGH BORON BEARING STEEL

High boron bearing steel, in which boron homogeneously distributed, wassuccessfully produced in the vacuum induction furnace. The microstructural observations of cast andhot rolled steels showed that the addition of titanium can eliminate the quantity of ferrous boridesprecipitated at the grain boundaries and break the net microstructure, as a result, its hotworkability is improved. The titanium boride TiB_2 homogeneously distributes in the matrix ofalpha-Fe. The parameters of hot rolling process, including preheated temperature, initial rollingtemperature, finished rolling temperature and the total deformation, have been optimized.

Load Bearing Capacity and Safety Analysis for Strain-hardening Austenitic Stainless Steel Pressure Vessels

By increasing the yield strengths of austenitic stainless steels for pressure vessels with strain hardening techniques,the elastic load bearing capacity of austenitic stainless steel pressure vessels can be significantly improved.Two kinds of strain hardening methods are often used for austenitic stainless steel pressure vessels：Avesta model for ambient temperature applications and Ardeform model for cryogenic temperature applications.Both methods are obtained from conventional design rules based on the linear elastic theory,and only consider the hardening effect from materials.Consequently this limits the applications of strain hardening techniques for austenitic stainless steel pressure vessels because of safety concerns.This paper investigates the effect of strain hardening on the load bearing capacity of austenitic stainless steel pressure vessels under large deformation,based on the elastic-plastic theory.Firstly,to understand the effect of strain hardening on material behavior,the plastic instability loads of a round tensile bar specimen are derived under two different loading paths and validated by experiments.Secondly,to investigate the effect of strain hardening on pressure vessels strength, the plastic instability pressure under strain hardening is derived and further validated by finite element simulations.Further,the safety margin of pressure vessels after strain hardening is analyzed by comparing the safety factor values calculated from bursting tests,finite element analyses,and standards.The researching results show that the load bearing capacity of pressure vessels at ambient temperature is independent of the loading history when the effects of both material strain hardening and structural deformation are considered.Finite element simulations and bursting tests results show that the minimum safety factor of austenitic stainless steel pressure vessels with 5% strain hardening is close to the recommended value for common pressure vessels specified in the European pressure vessel standard.The proposed study also shows that in the strain hardening design of austenitic stainless steel pressure vessels,the calculation for plastic instability pressure could use theoretical formula or finite element analyses based on geometrical dimensions and material property parameters before strain hardening,but a 5%strain should be employed as a design limit.The proposed research can be used for the strain hardening design of austenitic stainless steel pressure vessels safely.

Precipitation Behavior of TiN in Bearing Steel

The precipitation behavior of titanium nitride (TIN) in bearing steel and effects of TiN inclusions on quality of the steel have been studied by thermodynamic calculation and experiment. The results show that with the increase of the content of Ti and [N], the properties of bearing steel decreased; adjusting the content of N and Ti could influence the precipitation occasion and condition of TiN in the steels. If Ti content is less than 30x10-6 and nitrogen content is less than 53x10-6, the temperature of TiN precipitation is under the solidus temperature and the size '\s small so that they have little harmful and even beneficial effect on the properties owing to grain refinement.

Axial Bearing Capacity of Short FRP Confined Concrete-filled Steel Tubular Columns

The bearing capacity of FRP confined concrete-filled steel tubular （FRP-CFST） columns under axial compression was investigated. This new type of composite column is a concrete-filled steel tube （CFST） confined with fiber-reinforced polymer （FRP） wraps. Totally 11 short column specimens were tested to failure under axial compression. The influences of the type and quantity of FRP, the thickness of steel tube and the concrete strength were studied. It was found that the bearing capacity of short FRP-CFST column was much higher than that of comparable CFST column. Furthermore, the formulas for calculating the bearing capacity of the FRP-CFST columns are proposed. The analytical calculated results agree well with the experimental results.

In-depth analysis of the fatigue mechanism induced by inclusions for high-strength bearing steels

A numerical study of stress distribution and fatigue behavior in terms of the effect of voids adjacent to inclusions was conducted with finite element modeling simulations under different assumptions.Fatigue mechanisms were also analyzed accordingly.The results showed that the effects of inclusions on fatigue life will distinctly decrease if the mechanical properties are close to those of the steel matrix.For the inclusions,which are tightly bonded with the steel matrix,when the Young’s modulus is larger than that of the steel matrix,the stress will concentrate inside the inclusion;otherwise,the stress will concentrate in the steel matrix.If voids exist on the interface between inclusions and the steel matrix,their effects on the fatigue process differ with their positions relative to the inclusions.The void on one side of an inclusion perpendicular to the fatigue loading direction will aggravate the effect of inclusions on fatigue behavior and lead to a sharp stress concentration.The void on the top of inclusion along the fatigue loading direction will accelerate the debonding between the inclusion and steel matrix.

Ultrahigh cycle fatigue fracture mechanism of high-quality bearing steel obtained through different deoxidation methods

The mechanism of oxide inclusions in fatigue crack initiation in the very-high cycle fatigue(VHCF)regime was clarified by subjecting bearing steels deoxidized by Al(Al-deoxidized steel)and Si(Si-deoxidized steel)to ultrasonic tension-compression fatigue tests(stress ratio,R=−1)and analyzing the characteristics of the detected inclusions.Results show that the main types of inclusions in Si-and Al-deoxidized steels are silicate and calcium aluminate,respectively.The content of calcium aluminate inclusions larger than 15μm in Si-deoxidized steel is lower than that in Al-deoxidized steel,and the difference observed may be attributed to different inclusion generation processes during melting.Despite differences in their cleanliness and total oxygen contents,the Si-and Al-deoxidized steels show similar VHCF lives.The factors causing fatigue failure in these steels reveal distinct differences.Calcium aluminate inclusions are responsible for the cracks in Al-deoxidized steel.By comparison,most fatigue cracks in Si-deoxidized steel are triggered by the inhomogeneity of a steel matrix,which indicates that the damage mechanisms of the steel matrix can be a critical issue for this type of steel.A minor portion of the cracks in Si-deoxidized steel could be attributed to different types of inclusions.The mechanisms of fatigue fracture caused by calcium aluminate and silicate inclusions were further analyzed.Calcium aluminate inclusions first separate from the steel matrix and then trigger crack generation.Silicate inclusions and the steel matrix are closely combined in a fatigue process;thus,these inclusions have mild effects on the fatigue life of bearing steels.Si/Mn deoxidation is an effective method to produce high-quality bearing steel with a long fatigue life and good liquid steel fluidity.

WEAR AND LIFE OF PCBN TOOLS WHEN DRY-CUTTING BEARING STEEL GCr15

The wear forms and reasons of PCBN tools when dry-cutting bearing steel GCr15are studied systematically. The effect law of the workpiece hardness on PCBN tools is gained andtool wearing with the quickest speed at the workpiece critical hardness is proved. The life equationat two kinds of workpiece hardness demonstrates that the effect of the cutting speed on the PCBNtool life is less than that of carbide tools and ceramic tools.

Effect of Carbonitriding on Endurance Life of Ball Bearing Produced from SAE 52100 Bearing Steels

The present paper reports the unusual enhancement of endurance life of ball bearings subjected to carbonitriding treatment. The microstructure was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and correlated with hardness and X-ray diffraction analysis. Endurance tests at 90% reliability revealed that the carbonitrided bearings exhibit nearly ten times more life than the non-carbonitrided bearings. This is attributed to synergic combination of retained austenitic, fine martensitic microstructure and ultrafine carbide precipitates obtained by carbonitriding treatment.

Modification of Inclusions in ESR Bearing Steel

Electroslag remelting (ESR) process using consumable electrode deoxidized with Ca-Si and Fe-Si instead of Al, and acid slag (CaF_2SiO_2Al_2O_3CaO) instead of universal slag ANF_6(CaF_2. 70 %+A1_2O_3.30 %) could change brittle inclusion (alumina) to ductile inclusion (silicate) in remelted steel. Fatigue life of bearing steel could be increased significantly in this way.

Cutting Temperature and Tool Wear of Hard Turning Hardened Bearing Steel

A study was undertaken to investigate the performan ce of PCBN tool in the finish turning GCr15 bearing steel with different hardness between 30～64 HRC. The natural thermocouple was used to measure the cutting tem p erature, tool life and cutting temperature were investigated and compared. The m aterial can be heated by this instrument which using low voltage and high elec trical current, while PCBN can’t be heated by electrifying directly, so the ke ntanium layer coating over the PCBN is heated, so the PCBN is heated and its th ermoelectric property is got by this method. [TPP129,+60mm88mm,Y,PZ#] Fig.1 Effect of cutting depth and workpiec hardness on. the cutting temperatureThe objective was to determine the influence of the workpiece hardness on change s in cutting temperature and tool wear characterize. It can be found from Fig.1 that the cutting temperature show an increasing tendency with the improvement of workpiece hardness within the cutting speed scope when the workpiece hardness i s under HRC50. And on the other hand, it is found that the cutting temperature s how the downtrend with the improvement of workpiece hardness when the workpiece hardness is over HRC50. According to experimental results, the critical hard ness when turning hardened GCr15 bearing steel with PCBN tool is about HRC50. Th e wear causes of PCBN tool have been found out through taking photos on the micr o-shape of PCBN poly-laminate initial surface as well as face and flank of wea r tool and analysis on chemical elements. It is discovered that the PCBN tools a re not suitable for cutting the workpiece at nearly critical hardness, because n ear the critical hardness, PCBN wear at the highest speed. For researching the w ear rule of PCBN tool, the tool wear experiments have been carried on by using b earing steel GCr15 at hardness HRC40 and HRC60 with changing cutting speed. The indexes of tool life equations is gained under two kinds of conditions w hich are bigger than 0.6, so the effects of cutting speed on the PCBN tool are m uch less than that of carbide tool and ceramic tool.

Effect of Cr/Mn segregation on pearlite–martensite banded structure of high carbon bearing steel

The effect of Cr/Mn segregation on the abnormal banded structure of high carbon bearing steel was studied by reheating and hot rolling.With the use of an optical microscope, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, and electron probe microanalyzer, the segregation characteristics of alloying elements in cast billet and their relationship with hot-rolled plate banded structure were revealed.The formation causes of an abnormal banded structure and the elimination methods were analyzed.Results indicate the serious positive segregation of C, Cr, and Mn alloy elements in the billet.Even distribution of Cr/Mn elements could not be achieved after 10 h of heat preservation at 1200℃, and the spacing of the element aggregation area increased, but the segregation index of alloy elements decreased.Obvious alloying element segregation characteristics are present in the banded structure of the hot-rolled plate.This distinct white band is composed of martensitic phases.The formation of this abnormal pearlite–martensite banded structure is due to the interaction between the undercooled austenite transformation behavior of hot-rolled metal and the segregation of its alloying elements.Under the air cooling after rolling, controlling the segregation index of alloy elements can reduce or eliminate the abnormal banded structure.

Hot deformation behaviors and flow stress model of GCr15 bearing steel

The hot deformation behaviors of GCr15 bearing steel were investigated by isothermal compression tests, performed on a Gleeble-3800 thermal-mechanical simulator at temperatures between 950 ℃ and 1 150 ℃ and strain rates between 0.1 and 10 s-1. The peak stress and peak strain as functions of processing parameters were obtained. The dependence of peak stress on strain rate and temperature obeys a hyperbolic sine equation with a Zener-Hollomon parameter. By regression analysis, in the temperature range of 950-1 150 ℃ and strain rate range of 0.1?10 s?1, the mean activation energy and the stress exponent were determined to be 351kJ/mol and 4.728, respectively. Meanwhile, models of flow stress and dynamic recrystallization (DRX) grain size were also established. The model predictions show good agreement with experimental results.

Thermodynamics Behavior of Titanium for BOF Smelting Bearing Steel

When titanium element appears in bearing steel, it is very easy to create titanium nitride inclusion, which reduces the fatigue life of bearing steel. Based on the production data of bearing steel produced by BOF, it is found that the titanium takes its source in bearing steel; the factors-affecting titanium content, and the thermodynamics behavior of titanium under smelting condition were studied. The results show that the prime reasons of titanium content increment are the soluble aluminum content and the titanium oxide of slag. The comparison between the experimental data and theoretical ones shows that there is a big declination when the soluble aluminum content of steel is higher, which is caused by the nonequilibrium reaction of slag and steel. The apparent equilibrium distribution coefficient of titanium between slag and steel is Obtained by use of experimental data.

Alloying Effect of Lanthanum in GCr15 Bearing Steel with Tin and Antimony

Effect of tin and antimony on hot ductility of GCr15 bearing steel as well as interaction between lanthanum and tramp elements, were studied by simulator Gleeble-1500 and the fractures for the tested steels were analyzed using SEM and EDS. The results show that with increasing contents of tin and antimony elements, the hot ductility of GCr15 bearing steel was decreased. Lanthanum can reduce the harmful effect of tramp elements on the hot ductility of GCr15, which can react with antimony to form compound and segregate at grain boundary in steel. Lanthanum can refine the recrystallized austenite grains after deformation and subsequent martensite structure.

Carbon Segregation of Bearing Steel Concasting Billet

The formation mechanism of 'white band' and central carbon segregation of high-carbon Cr bearing steel concasting billets are discussed in this paper. The maximum oxygen content in the steel produced by concasting process was 13xl0^-6 with an average oxygen content of 9.3xl0^-6. Comparison of metallurgical quality and fatigue property between the concasting steel (CC) and ingot casting steel (IC) showed that the carbon segregation (C/C0) in former steel was 0.92～1.10 and its fatigue life was equal to that of the latter steel.