International Iron & Steel Symposium, 02-04 April 2012, Karabük, Türkiye

WEAR BEHAVIOR OF HEAT TREATED DIN 100Cr6 STEELS

*
Şeyda Polat , Enbiya Türedi, Ş. Hakan Atapek, Merve Köseoğlu
Kocaeli University, Kocaeli, Turkey, E-posta: seyda@kocaeli.edu.tr, enbiya.turedi@kocaeli.edu.tr,
hatapek@kocaeli.edu.tr, merve_ksgl@hotmail.com

Abstract

In this study, several heat treatments were applied to DIN 100Cr6 steel to obtain different matrices. In the first
stage of the study, solution annealing treatment was applied to the steel and cooling was carried out in various
media (furnace, oil and salt bath). In order to eliminate the stresses after transformation from austenization, a low
temperature tempering treatment was applied to the quenched samples. All heat treated samples were examined
using light microscope after metallographic preparations. In the second step, ‘ball-on-disc’ type tribometer was
used to determine the friction coefficient of the steels depending on the matrix phase. Weight loss was recorded
and the friction coefficient versus distance was plotted for each steel. Worn surfaces of the steels were examined
using scanning electron microscope to characterize the wear mechanisms. It is concluded that (i) pearlitic, bainitic
and martensitic matrices could be obtained depending on the cooling medium, (ii) martensitic matrix had higher
wear resistance based on its weight loss, (iii) abrasive and adhesive wear tracks were present on the worn
surfaces of the steels.

Keywords : Hardenable steels, heat treatment, microstructure, microhardness, wear.

1. Introduction

While the contact surfaces of a bearing's raceways and rolling elements are subjected to repeated heavy stress,
they still must maintain high precision and rotational accuracy. Thus, the raceways and rolling elements must be
made of a material that has high hardness and good dimensional stability and is resistant to rolling fatigue and
wear [1]. Stickels et al. reported that high carbon through hardening steels such as DIN 100Cr6 (AISI 52100) and
a variety of case-carburized low carbon steels are used for anti-friction bearings. High carbon steels such as
100Cr6 are generally cleaner than low carbon steels such as 8620, 4118, 4620 and so forth. The steel used for
bearing applications must have minimum inclusions such as oxides, silicates and sulfides. The detrimental effect
of oxides and silicates on bearing performance is well-known. Zhang et al. reported that the source of most
fatigue problems in bearing steel are hard and brittle oxides, especially large alumina particles over 30µm [2-5].

Wear phenomenon in bearing steels, which are frequently used in industry, is an important failure mechanism. A
workpiece running under repeated loading become useless in time as losing its function because of wearing.
Processing technology in bearing steels can determine their final wear characteristics. After hardening process,
the bearing steel with a martensitic or bainitic matrix is not only quite hard but also brittle. Bainitic bearing steels
have less hardness level as well as higher toughness in comparison to martensitic bearing steels. That is the
reason why bainitic bearing steels are used more commonly than martensitic ones [6-10].

In this work, effect of heat treatment on bearing steels was studied in terms of their microstructures, mechanical
properties and wear behaviors in dry sliding condition.

2. Experimental Study

2.1. Materials

Within the scope of the experimental study, three specimens taken from a bearing steel (DIN 100Cr6) were
subjected to different heat treatments. The changes in the microstructure and wear performance were studied as
a function of the cooling media and tempering conditions. The chemical composition of the related bearing steel is
given in Table 1. Heat treatments applied and matrix hardness values obtained are listed in Table 2.

Table 1. The chemical composition of the bearing steel (wt.-%).

C Si Mn Cr Mo P S Fe
0.95 0.30 0.30 1.40 0.08 < 0.025 < 0.015 balance

181
 Polat, Ş., Türedi, E., Atapek, Ş. H. Ve Köseoğlu, M.

Table 2. Heat treatment conditions and hardness values of the steel matrices.

Specimens Austenitizing Cooling medium Tempering Hardness, HRC

A 35 min. @870°C Furnace - 36.5

35 min. 270 min. @250

B Salt bath 58.0
@870 °C °C
35 min. 180 min. @160
C Oil bath 61.0
@870 °C °C

2.2. Metallographic Sample Preparation and Microscopic Examinations

The specimens taken from heat treated steels were ground using grinding papers of 120, 320, 600 and 1000
mesh in turn, and polished with diamond paste of 3 µm in size. The polished surfaces were then etched
chemically with 3% nital solution to obtain phase contrast in the structure. The etched specimens were
investigated under light microscope (LM, Zeiss Axiotech 100). Wear test was performed on polished surfaces to
eliminate the effect of surface roughness on friction behavior. After the wear test, the worn surfaces were
examined under scanning electron microscope (SEM, Jeol JSM 6060).

2.3. Wear Tests

Wear tests on polished steel specimens were performed using a “ball-on-disc” type tribometer (Nanovea). The
test parameters are listed in Table 3.

Table 3. Parameters used in the wear tests.

Counterpart material 100Cr6 (hardened)

Counterpart hardness 65 HRC
Rotational speed 100 rpm
Normal load 25 N
Total sliding distance 500 m

3. Results and Discussions

3.1. Microstructural Characterization of The Steels

In terms of the physical metallurgy of steels, after austenitizing process, it is possible to obtain a homogeneous
single phase structure, namely austenite. Dissolving the most alloying elements in composition by this sort of high
temperature treatment enables rearrangement of the structure. Non-equilibrium transformation products e.g.
martensite and/or bainite are obtained instead of equilibrium transformation products, due to the presence of
enough alloying elements in steel composition as well as by appropriate cooling condition. Thus a high enough
hardness can be gained to the steel. With tempering process, toughness of the steel is increased. On the other
hand, for example in alloy steels, the formation of nano-sized carbides which can be more stable than cementite,
and related to this, secondary hardening is also available. Physical and chemical properties of the final product
are usually related to characteristics of microstructure. As it is well-known for steels, alloying element type and
amount, quenching medium and other treatments determine the final microstructure [11-20].

The effect of quenching media on the final structure in 100Cr6 steel is shown in Figure 1. Pearlitic, bainitic and
martensitic matrices were formed in the steels as a function of quenching medium. Equilibrium transformation
product, pearlitic matrix, formed by slow cooling in the furnace is given in Figure 1a. The bainitic matrix of the
bearing steel quenched in salt bath is shown in Figure 1b. Martensitic transformation, after retarding equilibrium
transformations due to oil quenching, was also carried out (Figure 1c). Tempering process at a specific
temperature and time was performed in order to reduce the embrittlement of the bainitic and martensitic matrices.
Tempering process allows the redistribution of carbon atoms which exist in ferrite lattice and enhance the strength
of steel by increasing lattice stresses due to rapid quenching or transformation. This kind of redistribution causes
to stress relieving in supersaturated phase by carbon and hence the toughness of the steel can somewhat be
increased.

182
 Polat, Ş., Türedi, E., Atapek, Ş. H. Ve Köseoğlu, M.

(a) (b)

(c)

Figure 1. The etched microstructures of bearing steel specimens after heat treatments: (a) specimen A with
pearlitic matrix, (b) specimen B with bainitic matrix, and (c) specimen C with martensitic matrix.

3.2. Evaluation of Wear Test Data

A good understanding of the microstructure and its influence on wear resistance is of great importance to
designers and engineers in selecting wear-resistant materials. Wang et al. studied the tribo- metallographic
behavior of high carbon steels in dry sliding. In their study, the wear mechanisms depending on various
microstructures of 52100 and 1080 steel were discussed in detail. They reported that (i) mild wear characterized
by oxidation, severe wear characterized by adhesion and delamination, and melting wear, appeared in
succession with increasing normal load and/or speed, (ii) the transition of wear mechanisms depended mainly
upon the conditions of testing, (iii) the wear resistance of different microstructures was increased in the following
order: martensite+carbide+retained austenite, spheroidized structure (ferrite plus spheroidized cementite),
martensite, bainite, lamellar pearlite [21, 22].

The relationship between friction coefficient and total sliding distance as well as a comparison diagram between
hardness and weight loss in specimen and in counterpart after the wear test, are shown in Figure 2 and 3.
Diagram for wear test results of 100Cr6 steels quenched in different media is given in Figure 2. Specimen A
(pearlitic matrix) exhibits a quite high friction coefficient in comparison to the others. Although specimen B (bainitic
matrix) has a lower hardness value than specimen C with martensitic matrix, it has the lowest average friction
coefficient indicating a good wear resistance. Although the weight loss in specimen B is more than specimen C,
the difference is not much because their hardness values are quite close to each other.

Figure 2. Friction coefficient–total sliding distance diagrams of bearing steels.

The results in Figure 3 seem to be more predictable in terms of the relationship between parameters, wear loss
and specimen hardness level. It is evident that the increasing material hardness leads to an important decrease in
wear loss in specimen. Increasing hardness eventually increases weight loss in counterpart, as expected.

183
 Polat, Ş., Türedi, E., Atapek, Ş. H. Ve Köseoğlu, M.

Figure 3. Wear loss – hardness relationship in bearing steels after wear test.

3.3. Worn Surface Investigations

(a) (b)

(c) (d)

(e) (f)

Figure 4. SEM images of bearing steels after wear tests, worn specimen surfaces at left, their debris at right;
specimen A (a-b), specimen B (c-d), specimen C (e-f).

184
 Polat, Ş., Türedi, E., Atapek, Ş. H. Ve Köseoğlu, M.

SEM images of worn surfaces of bearing steel specimens and their debris are shown in Fig. 4. Evidences of
abrasive and adhesive wear on the surfaces can be seen clearly ( Figure 4a, c and e). It is foreseen that the
debris, from the friction pair due to abrasive wear between them in dry sliding conditions, forms an oxide-based
third tribo component and hence the contact surface of the counterpart to specimen decreases inevitably (Figure
4c). The heat generated by friction led to local “cold-welding”. Micro-cracks and spalling occurred because of
work-hardening in adhesive layers (Figure 4e).

On the debris side (Figure 4b, d and f), in addition to very fine and mostly oxide based particles, somewhat coarse
structures in layered morphology are shown. It is also evident that the friction-induced heat on surface in abrasive
wear conditions caused local oxidation reactions and then the oxide particles grooving from surface were
removed from friction zone. The layers shown in debris are initially cold-welded structures but then separated
from main adhesive layer after completion of delamination under repeated loading.

4. Conclusions
In this study, wear behavior of selected bearing steels under dry sliding conditions was examined. DIN 100Cr6
was selected as bearing steel. The effect of heat treatments on the steel microstructures was evaluated in terms
of physical metallurgical principles. The wear behavior of the steels was determined by friction coefficient-total
sliding distanc and wear loss-hardness diagrams as well as surface characterization. The results obtained are
listed as follows:

(i) The wear behaviors of bearing steel specimens having pearlitic, bainitic and martensitic matrices exhibit
different characteristics compared each other. Pearlitic matrix specimen has lowest hardness and highest
friction coefficient with worst wear loss. Even the hardness values are close to each other, wear
performances of the bainitic and martensitic matrices are clearly different. Although bainitic matrix specimen
B has relatively lower friction coefficient, martensitic matrix specimen C possesses a better wear resistance
possibly owing to its slightly harder structure.

(ii) Worn surface investigations reveal all abrasive and adhesive wear tracks and their details. It is concluded
that the presence of relatively higher amount of adhesive layers on worn surface in bainitic matrix specimen
B results in a barrier interface in specimen-counterpart contact points thus preventing steel surface from
scratching and causing lower friction coefficient levels.

References
[1] http://www.promshop.info/cataloguespdf/a083-084.pdf
[2] Stickels C. A. and Janotik A. M., Controlling residual stresses in 52100 bearing steel by heat treatment,
Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, 11(3), 467-473, 1980.
[3] Jacobi H. and Rakoski F., High purity in steels as a criterion for materials development, Journal de
Physique IV, 5, 3-22, 1995.
[4] Bhat G. K. and Nehrenberg A. E., A study of the metallurgical properties that are necessary for satisfactory
bearing performance and the development of improved beairng alloys for service up to 1000 F, WADC
Technical Report 57-343, ASTIA Document No : 142117, USA, 1957.
[5] Zhang L. And Thomas B. G., Inclusions in continuous casting of steel, XXIV. National Steelmaking
Symposium, Proceedings, 138-183, Morelia-Mexico, 26-28 November 2003.
[6] Miroslav N., Turning of roll bearing steel 100Cr6 of bainite structure, 7th International Multidisciplinary
Conference, Proceedings, 543-548, Romania, 17-18 May 2007.
[7] Guo A., Song X., Tang J. and Yuan, Z., Effect of tempering temperature on the mechanical properties and
microstructure of an copper-bearing low carbon bainitic steel, Journal of University of Science and
Technology Beijing, Mineral, Metallurgy, Material, 15(1), 38-42, 2008.
[8] Perez M., Sidoroff C., Vincent A. and Esnouf, C., Microstructural evolution of martensite 100Cr6 bearing
steel during tempering : form thermoelectric power measurements to the prediction of dimensional changes,
Acta Materialia, 57(11), 3170-3181, 2009.
[9] Püttgen W., Hallstedt B., Bleck W., Löffler J. F. and Uggowitzer, P. J., On the microstructure and properties
of 100Cr6 steel processed in the semi-solid state, Acta Materialia, 55(19), 6553-6560, 2007.
[10] Bulancea V., The microstructure in the cryogenic treated bearing steels, Annuals of the University of
Craiova, Electrical Engineering Series, 30, 395-398, 2006.
[11] Totten G. E., Steel heat treatment handbook. Second Edition, CRC Press, Boca Raton, 2007.
[12] Leslie W. C., The pysical metallurgy of steels, McGraw-Hill International Book Company, USA, 1982.
[13] Verhoeven J. D., Fundamentals of physical metallurgy, John Wiley & Sons, NY, 1975.
[14] Honeycombe R. W. K., Steels – microstructure and properties, Metallurgy and Materials Science Series,
Edward Arnold, London, UK, 1981.
[15] Bhadeshia H. K. D. H., Martensite and bainite in steels : transformation mechanism & mechanical properties,
Journal de Physique IV, 367-376, 1997.
[16] Bhadeshia H. K. D. H., Bainite in steels, 2nd Edition, Cambridge University Press, UK, 2001.

185
 Polat, Ş., Türedi, E., Atapek, Ş. H. Ve Köseoğlu, M.

[17] Thomson R. C., Characterization of carbides in steels using atom probe field-ion microscopy, Materials
Characterization, 44 (1-2), 219-233, 2000.
[18] Gingell A. D. B., Bhadeshia H. K. D. H., Jones D. G. and Mawella K. J. A., Carbide precipitation in some
secondary hardened steels, Journal of Materials Science, 32, 4815-4820, 1997.
[19] Karagöz Ş., Fischmeister H. F. and Andren, H. O., Guang-Jun, C., Microstructural changes during
overtempering of high speed steels, Metallurgical Transactions A, 23, 1631-1640, 1992.
[20] Hetzner D. W. and Van Geertruyden, W., Crystallography and metallography of carbides in high alloy steels,
Materials Characterization, 59(7), 825-841, 2008.
[21] Wang Y., Lei T. and Liu, J., Tribo-metallographic behaviour of high carbon steels in dry sliding : I. wear
mechanisms and their transition, Wear, 231(1), 1-11, 1999.
[22] Wang Y., Lei T. and Liu, J., Tribo-metallographic behaviour of high carbon steels in dry sliding : II.
microstructure and wear, Wear, 231(1), 12-19, 1999.

186