Effect of Temperature on the Sliding Wear Behaviors of Carburized BG801 Bearing Steel

TL;DR

Vacuum low-pressure carburizing improves BG801 bearing steel's wear resistance at high temperatures by forming a hardened surface layer.

Contribution

A novel vacuum low-pressure carburizing process is introduced to enhance BG801 steel's high-temperature wear resistance.

Findings

Carburizing reduces BG801's wear rate by approximately 50%.

The synergistic martensite–carbide layer enhances high-temperature wear resistance.

Friction coefficients remain stable between 0.5 and 0.8 across 25–400 °C.

Abstract

What are the main findings?
Vacuum low-pressure carburizing is adopted to optimize the surface properties of BG801 bearing steel, overcoming the adaptability constraints of conventional carburizing processes and offering a novel technical route for improving its performance.Targeting the actual bearing service temperature range of 25~400 °C, this work systematically compares the tribological properties of carburized and uncarburized specimens and reveals the wear-resistant mechanism of the synergistic martensite–carbide layer, deepening the tribological theory of carburized bearing steel.Carburizing reduces the wear rate of BG801 by approximately 50% and markedly enhances its high-temperature wear resistance.

Vacuum low-pressure carburizing is adopted to optimize the surface properties of BG801 bearing steel, overcoming the adaptability constraints of conventional carburizing processes and offering a novel technical route for improving its performance.

Targeting the actual bearing service temperature range of 25~400 °C, this work systematically compares the tribological properties of carburized and uncarburized specimens and reveals the wear-resistant mechanism of the synergistic martensite–carbide layer, deepening the tribological theory of carburized bearing steel.

Carburizing reduces the wear rate of BG801 by approximately 50% and markedly enhances its high-temperature wear resistance.

What are the implications of the main findings?
The research balances theoretical significance and engineering practicality, providing a feasible solution for the application and industrial promotion of BG801 in medium-to-high-temperature conditions.The wear-resistant mechanism of the synergistic martensite–carbide layer provides a theoretical basis for the design of high-temperature wear-resistant bearing steels.Vacuum low-pressure carburizing offers a promising approach to enhance the surface performance of other bearing steels under harsh service conditions.

The research balances theoretical significance and engineering practicality, providing a feasible solution for the application and industrial promotion of BG801 in medium-to-high-temperature conditions.

The wear-resistant mechanism of the synergistic martensite–carbide layer provides a theoretical basis for the design of high-temperature wear-resistant bearing steels.

Vacuum low-pressure carburizing offers a promising approach to enhance the surface performance of other bearing steels under harsh service conditions.

The wear performance of BG801 bearing steel under elevated-temperature conditions exerts a decisive influence on the service life and operational reliability of aero-engine bearings. In this study, the vacuum low-pressure carburizing heat treatment technology was employed to perform surface carburization on BG801 bearing steel, and the effect of carburization on the frictional properties of this steel was explored over a temperature range of 25 °C to 400 °C. The results indicate that with the increase in temperature, the friction coefficients of both the uncarburized specimens (hereinafter referred to as BG801-NC) and carburized specimens (hereinafter referred to as BG801-C) are maintained in the range of 0.5~0.8. Compared with BG801-NC, the wear rate of BG801-C is reduced by approximately 50% and exhibits an overall variation tendency of increasing first and then decreasing. At elevated temperatures, BG801-C presents superior wear resistance, which is attributed to the formation of a martensite–carbide composite strengthened layer on the surface of the bearing steel after carburizing treatment, a microstructure that remarkably enhances the surface hardness and wear resistance of the steel. Moreover, the carburized layer also diminishes the thickness of the plastic deformation layer during the friction process, thereby further suppressing the extension of wear damage.

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