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Nano- and Microhardness Distribution in the Carburized Case of Nb-Microalloyed Gear Steel

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Abstract

The characteristics of in-depth hardness distribution in the high-temperature carburized case of Nb-microalloyed gear steel before and after cryogenic treatment were studied by nano-indentation method and Vickers hardness method. The results showed that there was no significant difference in Vickers hardness of the carburized case before and after cryogenic treatment, while the nano-hardness of the carburized case was increased after cryogenic treatment. The change of nano-hardness could be related to the decrease in retained austenite content. The retained austenite content in the surface of the carburized case was 26%, which was reduced to 18% after cryogenic treatment at − 196 °C, with the nano-hardness increased from 11.8 to 12.6 GPa. Nano-indentation can be used to reliably measure the properties of the high-temperature carburized case with fine retained austenite for Nb-microalloyed gear steel.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, People’s Republic of China

    W. Chen & K. F. Yao

  2. Institute of Special Steel, Central Iron and Steel Research Institute, Beijing, 100081, People’s Republic of China

    W. Chen, X. F. He, W. C. Yu, J. Shi & M. Q. Wang

Authors
  1. W. Chen
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  2. X. F. He
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  3. W. C. Yu
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  4. J. Shi
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  5. M. Q. Wang
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  6. K. F. Yao
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Correspondence to W. Chen.

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Chen, W., He, X.F., Yu, W.C. et al. Nano- and Microhardness Distribution in the Carburized Case of Nb-Microalloyed Gear Steel. J. of Materi Eng and Perform 29, 4626–4630 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-020-04992-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-020-04992-7

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