WEAR

ELSEVIER Wear 192 (1996) l-5

Metallographic study on rolling contact fatigue of 0.44%C-1.7 1%Mn

induction-hardened bearing steels
Byung-Young Choi a, Jung-Ho Shin a, Gun-Woong Bahng b, Kee-Bong Yoon b
a Department of Metallurgical Engineering, Chonbuk National University, Chonju 560-756, South Korea
’Materi& Evaluation Center, Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, Yusong P.O. Box 102, Taejon 305.600, South Korea

Received 17 June 1994; accepted 15 April 1995

Abstract

Microstructural changes and propagation of subsurface cracks during rolling contact have been studied to clarify rolling contact fatigue of
0.44%C-1.7 1%Mn induction-hardened bearing steels, using the specimens with different induction-hardened layer. The specimens were pre-
treated to form lower bainite and induction-hardened to form fine martensite in shallow induction-hardened layer or coarse martensite in deep
hardened layer. Rolling contact fatigue tests were conducted under maximum a Hertzian contact stress of 508 kgf mm-’ with circulating
lubricant through a filtered-pump feed system. Heavy plastic deformation of fine martensite in shallow induction-hardened layer and
propagation of subsurface crack across grain boundaries were observed with superior resistance to fatigue. On the other hand, intergranular
crack along grain boundaries in coarse martensite of deep hardened layer were observed with poor resistance to fatigue. Deformed martensite
and dense tangles of dislocations in ferrite were observed by transmission electron microscopy for a shallow induction-hardened layer which
was heavily deformed during rolling contact fatigue.

Keywords: Fatigue; Rolling contact; Steel; Bearings; Cracks

1. Introduction changes and propagation of subsurface cracks during rolling

contact fatigue in the induction-hardened specimens of
Carburized steels containing Cr and other minor elements medium-carbon steel containing Mn.
have been widely used for bearings of automobiles, railway
vehicles, construction machinery and rolling machines. But
carburizing treatments cost a great deal and Cr element has 2. Experimental procedure
been classified as the second most strategically vulnerable
metal after tantalum [ 1,2].
The chemical composition in weight percent of the as-
Precautions must be taken to apply other surface hardening
rolled steel used in this study was 0.44C, 1.71Mn, 0.31Si,
technique to fabrication bearings using new substitute steels
O.O18P, 0.011s. Specimens for rolling contact fatigue tests
without Cr element.
were machined and ground as shown in Fig. 1. The speci-
Induction hardening may be expected to be suitable surface
mens, prior to induction hardening, were austenitized in a salt
hardening for the bearings, because of less dimensional

tt
change accompanying hardening, easier control of case depth
and lower cost than carburizing. Mn element is known to
increase hardenability, needful to induction hardening, and
inexpensive in comparison with Cr. However, few studies on
the rolling contact fatigue of induction-hardened
steels have been performed.
In this point of view, induction hardening to form hard
bearing
-_\ -
1-m
Pi
SL-
11

martensite in surface layer of medium-carbon steel with addi- RD

tion of Mn has been attempted in this study.
In this paper, rolling contact fatigue test and metallographic [unit: mm]
observations were carried out to characterize microstructural Fig. 1. Dimension of specimen for thrust-type rolling contact fatigue test.

0043-1648/96/$15.00 0 1996 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved

SSDIOO43-1648(95)06767-l
2 B.-Y. Choi et ul. / Wear I92 (1996) l-5

Shatt

imen holder

t
Load

Fig. 2. Schematic illustration of the thrust-type rolling contact fatigue tester.

bath at 840 “C for 30 min and rapidly transferred to another

salt bath at 350 “C and held for 30 min, to form lower bainite
[3], followed by oil quenching. Surface roughness of the
specimen was 0.02-0.03 p.m R, (arithmetic mean).
Induction hardening was carried out at frequency of
200 kHz with power of 80 kW and tempering was subse-
quently performed at 100 “C. Depth of induction-hardened
layer was controlled by changing the speed of movement of
coils and the distance between coils and specimens.
Variations in microhardness as a function of depth below
the surface of induction-hardened specimens were measured
Fig. 3. SEM micrographs showing lower bainite in a pre-treated specimen.
by polishing repeatedly. Effective depth of induction-hard-
ened layer was determined as the depth from the surface until Table 1
the microhardness decreased to 450 Hv [ 41. Number of revolutions to flaking in rolling contact fatigued specimens
Microstructures in the pretreated and induction-hardened
Effective depth of induction-hardened layer (mm) No. of revolutions
specimens were observed by scanning electron microscopy.
Rolling contact fatigue tests were conducted at a shaft 1.50 1.7x IO6
speed of 1700 rev min- ’with axial load of 506 kgf in thrust- 6.70 3.6 X 10“
type rolling contact fatigue tester assembled with 10 balls,
6.35 mm in diameter, as schematically illustrated in Fig. 2.
in Fig. 4 and Fig, 5. The effective depth of induction-hard-
The maximum Hertzian contact stress was calculated to be
ened layer was 1.50 mm and 6.70 mm, respectively. Marten-
508 kgf mm-*. The lubricant used in the test was Shell Tellus
site produced in the induction-hardened layer is shown in
Oil 37 circulating through filtered-pump feed system at a rate
Fig. 6. Fine martensite was formed in the specimen with
of 70 cm3 min-i. The temperature of lubricant during test
effective depth of 1.50 mm as shown in Fig. 6(a). On the
was maintained at 40 ‘C through temperature control system.
other hand, coarse martensite was formed with an effective
The rolling contact fatigue tests were discontinued when the
depth of 6.70 mm, as shown in Fig. 6(b) The number of
vibration due to the flaking was monitored and the rotation
revolutions when flaking began to occur in the rolling contact
of shaft automatically stopped.
fatigued specimens were 1.7 X lo6 and 3.6 X lo4 for speci-
Microstructural changes and propagation of subsurface
mens with effective depth of 1.50 mm and 6.70 mm, respec-
cracks during rolling contact fatigue were observed by trans-
tively, as shown in Table 1. Shallow hardened specimen
mission and scanning electron microscopy.
showed a longer fatigue life.
Fig. 7 shows propagation of subsurface cracks across grain
boundaries to flaking after rolling contact of 1.7 X 10’ revo-
3. Results lutions in the specimen with effective depth of 1.5 mm. On
the other hand, intergranular cracks along grain boundaries
Lower bainite consisting of non-lamellar aggregate of fer- leading to flaking after rolling contact of 3.6X lo4 revolu-
rite and carbides [ 51 was formed in the pre-treated specimen tions, as shown in Fig. 8, was observed in the specimen with
as shown in Fig. 3. Microhardness variation with depth from effective depth of 6.7 mm. The observation of subsurface
the surface in the induction-hardened specimens is illustrated cracking to flaking after different number of revolutions as
 B.-Y. Choi et al. /Wear I92 (1996) 1-5 3

900 I I I I I I I I

800

700

600
4v
rc.
.
i
z 500
.__.
_.___-
c _._ .-.___ ._..__
.._._.-_____ _..___. .._....
f 400
=!
I
300

200

100
i
0 J I I I I I I I I
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000
DEPTH FROM SURFACE (urn)

Fig. 4. Microhardness variation as a function of depth from surface in the induction-hardened specimen with effective depth of 1.50 mm

::$ , , , , , , , 1
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000
DEPTH FROM SURFACE (urn)

Fig, 5. Microhardness variation as a function of depth from surface in the induction-hardened specimen with effective depth of 6.70 mm.

shown in Fig. 7 and Fig. 8, revealed that resistance to rolling 4. Discussion

contact fatigue of the specimen with shallow induction hard-
ened layer was much superior to that of the specimen with
nearly through hardened layer.
Fig. 9 shows the plate martensite in the shallow hardened
layer. Deformed martensite and dense tangles of dislocations
in ferrite [ 61 were formed in the regions subjected to maxi-
mum rolling contact stress as a result of plastic deformation
of plate martensite as shown in Fig. 10.
Lower bainitic carbides dispersed in ferritic matrix were
produced by pre-treatment as shown in Fig. 3. This is suitable
for induction hardening because of the rapid dissolution of
fine carbides in lower bainite into austenite during induction
heating. The austenite which was formed by induction heat-
ing transformed to martensite on quenching as shown in
Fig. 6.
 B.-Y. Choi et al. /Wear
Fig. 6. CLIVImicrographs showing martensite formed in the induction-hardened
Fig. 7. SEM micrograph showing propagation of subsurface cracks across grain boundaries.
in the specimen with effective depth of 1SO mm.
Depending on the heating conditions, shallow hardened
layer or deep hardened layer was obtained. The microstruc-
ture of shallow hardened layer was fine martensite as shown
in Fig. 6(a), while coarse martensite was formed in deep
hardened layer (Fig. 6(b) ) The difference in microstructure
for the induction-hardened layer is due to different heating
conditions, resulting from different speed of movement of
coils and distance between coils and specimens.
Rolling contact fatigue tests were conducted with circulat-
ing lubricant through filtered-pump feed system, that is, under
elastohydrodynamic lubricating conditions. Thus, the for-
mation of flaking was due to fatigue of induction hardened
specimens.
Heavy plastic deformation of fine martensite in the shallow
induction-hardened layer [ 71 and propagation of subsurface
cracks across grain boundaries were observed as shown in
Fig. 10 and Fig. 7, respectively. This resulted in superior
resistance to rolling contact fatigue of shallow hardened layer.
On the other hand, intergranular cracks along grain bound-
aries as shown in Fig. 8 leading to flaking was caused by
stress concentration at grain boundaries and it was also
observed in the surface hardened layer of high-carbon chro-
mium bearing steel in the previous work [8]. This stress
concentration at grain boundaries was due to increasing dis-
locations pile-up against grain boundaries as a result of long
slip distance in coarse martensite. This resulted in poor resis-
192 (1996) l-5
layer of specimens with different effective depth: (a) 150 mm; (b) 6.7 mm.
Flaking was observed after rolling contact of I .7 X 10” revolutions
tance to rolling contact fatigue of coarse martensite formed
in deep hardened layer.
It seemed that microstructural changes during rolling con-
tact fatigue, fine martensite to deformed martensite and dense
tangles of dislocation in ferrite, as shown in Fig. 9 and
Fig. 10, were due to plastic deformation of fine martensite
with higher toughness than coarse martensite.
Since most of the plastic deformation for shallow hardened
specimen was concentrated on the hardened layer, the differ-
ence in resistance to rolling contact fatigue between the two
kinds of specimens can be said to be due to the difference in
microstructure rather than the difference in depth of hardened
layer. The difference in the mode of crack propagation also
supports this explanation.
5. Conclusions
0.44%C-1.7 1%Mn induction-hardened bearing steels
with effective depth of induction-hardened layer, 1.50 mm
and 6.70 mm, were prepared and rolling contact fatigue test
was carried out at a shaft speed of 1.700 rev min- ’ under
maximum Hertzian contact stress of 508 kgf mm-*, circu-
lating lubricant through filtered-pump feed system. Fine mar-
tensite in shallow induction-hardened layer and coarse
martensite in deep induction-hardened layer were formed
 B.-Y. Choi et al. / Wear 192 (1996) l-5
Fig. 8. SEM micrograph showing intergranularcrack along gram boundaries
to flaking after rolling contact of 3.6 X lo4 revolutions in the specimen with
effective depth of 6.70 mm.
Fig. 9. TEM micrograph showing plate martensite formed in the induction-
hardened layer of specimen with effective depth of 1.50 mm.
after induction hardening. Heavy plastic deformation of fine
martensite in shallow induction-hardened layer and propa-
gation of subsurface cracks across grain boundaries to flaking
after rolling contact of 1.7 X lo6 revolutions resulted in supe-
rior resistance to rolling contact fatigue. Deformed martensite
and dense tangles of dislocations in ferrite were observed by
Fig. 10. TEM micrograph showing deformed mattensite and dense tangles
of dislocations in ferrite, in the induction-hardened layer of specimen with
effective depth of 1SO mm after rolling contact of 1.7 X lo6 revolutions.
transmission electron microscopy for a shallow induction-
hardened layer which was heavily deformed during rolling
contact fatigue.
On the other hand, intergranular cracks along grain bound-
aries leading to flaking in deep hardened layer, caused by
stress concentration at coarse grain boundaries after rolling
contact of 3.6 X lo4 revolutions resulted in poor resistance to
rolling contact fatigue.
Acknowledgements
This research was supported by the Ministry of Education
Research Fund for Advanced Materials in 1992.
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