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Heat Treat Processes for Gears
Different heat treating processes' as well as the materials being treated, impart particular qualities in your gears. Allow Bodycote to provide a deeper understanding of your options.
By: Nicholas Bugliarello, Biji George, Don Giessel, Dan McCurdy, Ron Perkins, Steve Richardson & Craig Zimmerman
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Heat treatment isacritical andcomplexelement inthemanufacturingof gearsthat greatlyimpactshoweachwill performintransmittingpower or carryingmotiontoother componentsinanassembly. Heat treatmentsoptimizetheperformanceandextendthelifeof gearsinservicebyalteringtheir chemical, metallurgical, andphysical properties. Thesepropertiesaredeterminedbyconsideringthegearsgeometry, power transmissionrequirements, stressesat different pointswithinagear under load, loadcyclingrates, material type, matingpart designs, andother operatingconditions. Heat treatmentsimprovephysical propertiessuchassurfacehardness, whichimparts
wear resistancetoprevent toothandbearingsurfacesfromsimplywearingout. Heat treatmentsalsoimproveagearsfatiguelifebygeneratingsubsurfacecompressivestressestoprevent pittinganddeformationfromhighcontact stressesongear teeth. Thesesamecompressivestressesprevent fatiguefailuresingear rootsfromcyclictoothbending. Physical propertiessuchassurfacehardness, corehardness, casedepth, ductility, strength, wear resistanceandcompressivestressprofilescanvarygreatlydependingonthetypeof heat treatment applied. For anygiventypeof heat treatment theresultscanbetailoredbymodifyingprocessparameterssuchasheatingsource,
temperatures, cycletimes, atmospheres, quenchmedia, andtemperingcyclestomeet specificapplicationrequirements.
Besidesselectingheat treatmentsthat will produceaset of desiredphysical properties, manufacturingengineerswant tominimizedistortionof dimensionsfromtreatment suchthat final proper fit intoagearboxcanbeachieved. Manygearsaremachinedintoanoversizedconditionprior toheat treatment sothat aplannedamount of grindstock mayberemovedafter theprocessinorder tomeet dimensional requirements. Byselectingheat treatment processeswheredistortionisreduced, theamount of grindstock neededmaybereducedtominimizemachiningonhardenedsurfacesafter heat treatment andtherebyreducetheoverall costsof manufacturing. Removing
toomuchof theoutermost portionof acasehardenedgear that distortedexcessivelywill alsonegativelyimpact thefatiguepropertiesandwear lifeperformance. Someheat treatment processesaredesignedtotreat theentiresurfaceof agear, whileothersareselectiveinnature. Inductionhardeningor selectiveheatingmaybeemployedtohardenjust thegear teethonly, whichcanbeaneffectivemethodof reducingthedistortioninagear. Maskingof journalsandkeywaysmaybeemployedincasehardeningprocessestokeepthemsoft andallowfor easier grindstock removal after heat treatment. Reductionof distortionbyintelligent heat treatment processdesign
allowsmanufacturingengineerstoimprovetheperformanceand/or reducetheoverall costsof manufacturingagear.
Inall cases, gear designengineersunderstandthat heat treatmentsplayacomplexandvital roleinboththeeaseof manufacturingandtheperformanceof thegearstheymake. Today, manyoptionsexist for theheat treatment of gears. Proper selectionanddesignof theheat treatment processcangreatlyaffect performance, easeof manufacture, andeconomicsof acomponent. Thispaper will focusonavarietyof different processesandhighlight somebenefitsanddisadvantagesof each.
Heat Treating Basics
Tounderstandheat treating, abasicknowledgeof metallurgyisneeded. Iron, whencombinedwithsmall percentagesof carbon, formssteel. Plaincarbonsteelstypicallycontain1percent or lesscarbonincombinationwithiron. Themaximumhardnessthat anyplaincarbonsteel canachieveduringheat treatment isprimarilyafunctionof itscarboncontent. Higher carboncontentsteelsarecapableof beinghardenedtohigher hardnessvaluesthanlower carboncontent steels. Tomakealloysteels, small percentagesof other elementssuchasCr, Ni, Mo, Si, B, V, Ti, Al, N, Nb, W, andCu(tonamethemost common) areaddedtosteel. Thesealloyingelementsareadded
inorder toincreasehardenabilityor enhancespecificpropertiessuchastoughnessor resistancetosofteningfromheat build-up. For heat treatersthehigher hardenabilityallowsfor slower quenching, whichmeansdistortioncanbekept tolower levelsinmorehighlyalloyedsteels. Steelscanbeannealedbythermallyprocessingat ahightemperatureandslowcoolingtosoftenit. Inthissoft andmalleablestateit canbemachined, formed, hobbed, andgroundeasilyintoadesiredshape. What makessteel industriallyimportant isthat it canbehardenedafter thematerial hasbeenformedor shapedinthesoft statetoadesiredgeometry. Byuseof athermal processingcycle
wheresteel isheatedtoaustenitizingtemperaturesandrapidlyquenched, thenear-finishedcomponentscanbehardenedtoimprovewear resistance, strength, andhardness. After quenchingtothemaximumhardnessachievable, whichisdeterminedbythesteelscarboncontent, thesteel maythenbetempereddowntoalower hardnesstoimproveductilityandtoughnessat theexpenseof slightlyreducingthestrength, hardness, andwear characteristicsof thematerial. Figure1
What actuallyoccursinsteel duringheat treatingarephasetransformationsasatomsrearrangethemselvesintodifferent crystal structures. Thestartingpoint of most heat treatedpartsisanannealedmaterial. Infact, whenpurchasingsteel it isgenerallyintheannealedcondition. Anannealedstructureisacombinationof primarilyferrite(Fe, pureiron) andironcarbide(Fe3C, cementite). Thesewill beintheformof alternatinglayersof ferriteandFe3C (pearliticstructure), or ferritewithdispersedFe3C spheresor spheroids(spherodizedstructure). Whensteel isheatedaboveitsaustenitizingtemperature, it transformsintotheaustenitestructure. Anapproximate
austenitizingtemperaturefor most plaincarbonsteelsisaround1330F andvariesbyexact gradeof steel. Oncefull transformationof thesteel toanaustenitestructurehasoccurredtheaustenitemaybequenched(cooledrapidly), andthat austentitestructurewill transformtoamartensitestructure. Thistransformationof austenitetomartensiteisthehardeningprocess. Themartensitestructureyieldsthehighest hardnessandtensilestrengthpropertiesof anystructurefor that steel. Producingamartensiticstructurefromausteniteisthegoal inhardeningheat treatment of steels. Onecritical aspect of thishardeningprocessisthecoolingrateemployedduringquenching.
Eachgradeof steel requiresthat acertainminimumcoolingratebeachievedduringquenchingor thetransformationfromaustenitetomartensitewill not occur. Austenitizedsteelsheldat hightemperatureandquenchedtooslowlydowntoambient temperaturewill not transformfromaustenitetoamartensiticstructure. Theywill insteadrevert back asofter mixof ferriteandcementiteagain.
Table1summarizesthemethodsincommonusetodayfor heat treatment of gears. Eachmethodhasitsplace; someareperfect for highvolumes, whileothersarepractical onlyonapiece-by-piecebasis. Someimproveall metallurgical properties, whileothersimproveonlyoneor two.
Neutral Hardening
Therearetwogeneral classificationsof heat treatmentsusedfor hardeningsteels: neutral hardening, andcasehardening. Neutral hardeningreferstomaintainingthecarbonpotential of theatmosphereat thesamepercentageasthecarboninthesteel duringthehardeningcycle. Thismeansthat carbonisenteringandleavingthesurfaceof thesteel at thesamerate, andnonet gainor net lossof carbonatomsinsidethesurfaceof thesteel occurs. Manygearsareneutral hardened, but for themost demandingapplicationscasehardeningprocesses, suchascarburizingandnitriding, arethepreferredmethodsduetotheir improvedwear characteristicsandmechanical
properties.
Atmosphere Carburizing
Carburizing, themost widelyusedformof surfacehardening, istheprocessof diffusingcarbonintothesurfaceof lowcarbonsteel at elevatedtemperatures. Thisresultsinahighcarboncaseformingjust insidethesurfaceof alowcarboncomponent. Duringquenchingfromaustenitizingtemperaturestheaustenitewill transformtomartensite, andthehigher carboncasewill haveahighhardnesswhilethelower carboncorematerial will havealower hardness. Thegoal of thisprocessistoproduceahard, strong, wear resistant outer surfacewhileretainingasofter, ductiletoughcore.
Whenaustenitetransformstomartensiteduringquenching, avolumeexpansionoccursinthematerial andit grows. Thevolumetric expansioninthecaseisgreater thanthevolumeexpansioninthelower carbon, lower hardnesscorestructure. Thisdifferenceinsizechangesputsthecarburizedsurfaceof thepart intoastateof compression, whichmakesit stronger. For example, whenaforceisappliedtoagear tooth, it first hastoovercomethesecompressiveforcesbeforebeginningtoput thesurfaceof thetoothintension. Inorder todeformthismaterial, it requiresaforcethat exceedsthecombinationof overcomingthecompressivestressespresent inadditiontothe
normal yieldstrengthof thematerial. Thesecompressivestressescausedbydifferencesinvolumeexpansionratesbetweenthecaseandcoreimprovestheoverall tensileandyieldstrengthof thecarburizedcaseinsideagear tooth. It isthesecompressivestressesthat resist deformationfromhighcontact stressespresent asgear teethpressandroll against eachother. Thesecompressivestressesalsoincreasefatiguelifebyhelpingtoprevent crackingintoothrootsastheteetharecyclicallyloadedandunloadedwithbendingstresses. Thehighcarbon, highhardnesssurfaceof thecarburizedcasealsoresistswear andscoringcausedbyfrictionasgear teethrubandwear
against eachother.
Onecant discussheat treatinggearswithout discussingdistortion, whichoccursfor avarietyof reasons. Onesourceispre-existingresidual stressespresent inthematerial causedbyprior operationssuchassteelmaking, rolling, forming, forging, casting, machining, andgrinding. Asthematerial beginstoheat upduringcarburizing, theseresidual stressespresent inthematerial relieveandcausethegearstodistort if thesestresseswerelargeor non-uniform. Figure2
A secondsourceof distortionishightemperaturecreepduringprocessing. Gravityistheenemyof manygear designsduringthermal processing, especiallyincarburising, wherehightemperaturesandlongprocessingtimesarethenorm. At hightemperatures, steel haslittlestrengthandcansagandbendunder gravitysforceif sectionsof apart arenot properlysupportedor componentsnot stoodupor hungperfectlystraight. Spendingtheextratimetofixturepartscorrectlyanddesigningcustomizedfixturestoproperlysupport agear duringexposuretohightemperaturescansavemanyhoursof straighteningandmachiningafterwards. Somepart shapessuchaslong
shaftsarebest rackedinvertical orientationstomaintainstraightnesswhileother shapessuchasringsarebetter if laidflat horizontallytomaintainroundness. Selectionandexperienceindesigningheat treatment fixturescandramaticallyaffect theresults.
A thirdsourceof distortionisquenching, whichistypicallythemainoffender indistortingpartsduringheat treatment. Theideal quenchistheslowest quenchthat will uniformlypull heat out of thepart, whilestill fullytransformingthesurfacetomartensiteandachievingthedesiredcaseandcoreproperties. Thissoundseasyenough, but inpracticeit canbequitedifficult giventhedesignandcomplexshapeof manygears. Duetovariationsincustomers part geometries, limitationsinfixturedesigns, non-uniformquenchtank agitation, andpart-to-part or part-to-fixtureinteractions, it isthemost difficult distortionmechanismtoresolveandpredict. Evenwithina
singlepart itspossibletohavesomethinner sectionsof acomponent cool faster thanthicker sectionscausingoneareatotransformearlier thananother andwarpdimensionsasthetransformationswiththeir associatedvolumeexpansionsoccur at different timesduringaquench.
Whendistortionoccurstoanunacceptabledegree, solutionsneedtobefound. After exhaustingall thevariationsof processingparameters, fixturingmethods, quenchmodifications, andensuringpartsarefreefromstressprior toheat treatment, other optionsneedtobeconsidered. Thiscanbeassimpleasastraighteningstep, or asdifficult asre-engineeringthepart. Someother methodsof heat treatingmayprovidemoreeffectivesolutionstoreducingdistortionaswell. Processessuchaspressquenching, toothtotoothinductionhardening, vacuumcarburizingwithgasquenching, andnitridingareemployedwhenexcessivedistortionresultsduringconventional
carburizingof specificgear geometries.
Press Quenching of Gears
Theart of pressquenchingwhilebeingaroundfor decadesremainssomewhat of amysterytotheengineeringworld, andevenour ownheat treatingindustry. Inbasicform, gearsarecarburizedinlargebatches, slowcooled, reheatedindividually, andthenquenchedrapidlyunder someformof restraint tominimizedistortion. Themaindimensionsthat arerestrainedduringpressquenchingaretheflatnessof thegear andtheroundnessof theboreinrelationtothehub.
Thequenchingequipment utilizedisreferredtoasapress. Theyareeither pneumaticor hydraulicindesign, dependingontheindividual pieceof equipment. Thepresshasalower dieassemblythat floatsinnatureandbecomesstationaryduringthequenchprocess. Theupper dieusesaprimaryandsecondaryupper pressuresystemthat hastwolevelsof controlsthroughanouter andinner cylinder assembly. Dependingonthepressbeingusedthemaximumdiepressureisdifferent. Figure3
Whenthegear istransferredtothepressandplacedonthediefor quenching, it isrestrainedthroughtheuseof toolingdesignedspeciallyfor thegear beingquenched. Oil flowbecomescritical tothesuccessof thepressingoperationtominimizeanydistortion. Theoil flowcomesupfromtheoil reservoir throughthechambersor holeswithinthelower dieassembly, thencirculatingupandaroundthetabletotheoil flowringsbasedonthelower dietable. Theoil flowcanbecontrolledthroughthemanipulationof oil flowrings, whicharelocatedunderneaththesupport rings. Theoil flowcanberestrictedor wideopendependingonthegear beingquenched. Thisflow
isregulatedthroughtimer controlledvalves. Theinner cylinder forceisexertedagainst therimof thegear toaddressflatnesswhiletheouter cylinder canbeusedtoapplypressuretothefaceof thehubor toapplypressuretoexpandout anexpander mandrel intheattempt tocontrol thesplineor boresizing.
Whether aplugor anexpander isusedinaboredependsuponwhat istryingtobeaccomplished. Anexpander isemployedwhentheheat treater istryingtoexpandthetoolingout tomeet anintendedborediameter prior totheactuallyquenchingthepart. Theintent istominimizeanyout of round conditionsthat mayoccur. Larger borediameter gearswiththinwall thicknessesareprimecandidatesfor theuseof anexpander toprevent anyout of roundconditions. A plugisusedfor holdingaboredimension. Theplugisgroundtoasizeclosetotheintendedborediameter. Theheat treater istryingtohavetheborecool or shrink uniformlytoacertaindimension. A
finishgrindingoperationof theboreisusuallyperformedafter plugquenching.
Thefocusongear pressquenchingshouldnot beontheuseof tooling. It hasbeentaught that thebest gear startswiththegear blank. Addressingtheforgingoperationfor thegear blank isimportant. Intheforgingoperation, thedirectionof thegrainpatterniscritical suchthat thepart will not havenon-uniformresidual stressespresent. It isimportant that theblank alsobenormalizedor annealedat temperaturesthat exceedtheplannedcarburizingtemperatureby50degreesF. It isalsoimportant toensurethat thecycletimeat temperatureisheldfor aproper lengthof time. Insufficient timeor temperatureduringnormalizingor annealingwill result ingreater distortion
beingpresent duringsubsequent heat treatment steps. It isoftenrecommendedtoperformasubcritical stressrelievingoperationafter theroughmachiningof thegear blank tohelpminimizedistortioninthefinal heat treatingoperation. Whilenot consideredabsolutelynecessary, it doeshelpreducedistortionandimprovethefinal qualityof thepart.
Another concernthat comesupingear hardeningisthetaperingof theborediameter throughthelengthof thebore. Thisarisesduethesectional changespresent insomegearsalongtheir axis. Theuseof anexpander andusingvariouspressuresontheinner cylinder will result inminimizingtapering. Taperingcannot beeliminatedinsomegear designs, but it canbeminimized.
Whendesigninggearswherepressquenchingisplanned, it isrecommendedtohavetheheat treater involvedfromthedesignstagetounderstandhowit will affect thefinal product. Pressquenchingisnot thelowest-cost hardeningprocessavailable, but it isacompetitiveprocessamongtodaysgear hardeningprocesses. Inmanycasespressquenchingistheonlyoption, asdistortionfromconventional carburizingandquenchingprocessescanbetooexcessiveonsomesensitivegear geometries.
LCP/High Pressure Gas Quench
LowPressureCarburizing(LPC) withhighpressuregasquenchisarelativelynewcarburizingtechnologythat hasbecomemorewidelyusedduringthelast decade. It hasbecomethepopular choiceof carburizingtreatment for automotivetransmissiongearsover thelast 10yearswithGeneral Motors, Ford, Chrysler, andmanyforeignautomakersnowadoptingthisprocess. Manyfuel injectorsarecurrentlycarburizedusingthistechnology. Someaerospacecomponentsarealsobeinglowpressurecarburized, withrotorcraft transmissiongearingbeinganother earlyadopter of LPC. Figure4
LPC equipment comesinavarietyof formsfromdifferent furnacemanufacturersthat all havedifferent conceptsanddesigns. Ingeneral, theequipment consistsof vacuumchamberscapableof heatingpartstocarburizingtemperaturesandcapableof injectingsmall amountsof hydrocarbongasesat lowpressurethat act asacarbonsource. Inadditiontothecarburizingcellstherearequenchingcellswherecarburizedhot loadsmaybecooledusinghighpressuresof inert gasestorapidlycool thepartsallowinghardeningtooccur bytransformingaustenitetomartensiteinthecaseandcorestructure. Thegasquenchcellsareequippedwithpowerful fansandarecapableof
injectinggasestypicallyupto20bar positivepressureinconjunctionwithheat-exchangersusingchilledwater toquicklyremoveheat fromthequenchinggases. Themost commonquenchingmediaishighpressurenitrogengas, andthemorecommoncarburizinggasesarepropaneandacetylene. Manyfurnacemanufacturersareusingdifferent gases, however, andblendsof gasesascarbonsourcesandquenchgases.
Highhardenabilityalloysarerequiredfor LPC andhighpressuregasquench. Typical gradesof materialsusedare8620, 5120, 4118, 17CrNiMo6, 9310, 3310, 8822H, 4822, and8630. Lower hardenabilityplaincarbonsteelsthat canbecarburizedandoil quenchedsimplycannot behardenedusingagasquenchbecausetheywill not properlytransformascoolingratesaretooslow. Evenwithhighhardenabilitygradessomeconsiderationmust begiventocorehardness, asthegasquenchwill producelower corehardnesscomparedtooil quenchedparts.
A major advantageof LPC isthat thesesameslowcoolingratesduringgasquenchingtranslateintolowdistortionfromquenching. Manypartsthat cannot besuccessfullyoil quenchedandmaintainrequireddimensional tolerancesareabletobeLPCprocessedwithagasquenchandyieldacceptabledimensions. Byeliminatingthenon-uniformcoolingof partsassociatedwithliquidquenchesthat havevapor, boiling, andconvectivecoolingall takingplacesimultaneouslyandreplacingit withgasquenchesthat haveslower coolingratesandaremoreuniformandpurelyconvective, distortioncanbegreatlyreducedasgear surfacesaremoreuniformlycooledat slower
rates. LPC withgasquenchingcansometimeseliminatepost-heat treatment straighteningor clamptemperingoperations, reducegrindstock allowancesandhardmachining, or replacemorecostlyprocessessuchaspressquenchingof individual gears.
A secondadvantageof LPC iscleanlinessof thepartsafter processing. Thefinishedpartsemergefromthefurnaceveryclean. At timesit isalmost difficult toidentifytheheat-treatedandnonheat-treatedparts. For thisreasontheheat-treatedpartsareslightlydiscolored, usingthediscolorationprocesstoidentifytheheat-treatedparts. Incomparison, conventional carburizingusesoil quenchingwheretheoil will burnontothesurfacesandfinishedpartsareoftendark, sooty, andhaveoil residueleft onthesurfaces.
Another advantageof theLPC processisthat it hasthecapabilitytoutilizeahigher carbonpotential atmosphereduringtheboost thusobtaininghigher hardnessvaluesdeeper intothecaseincomparisontotheconventional carburizing. Thishigher hardnessdeeper intothesurfacebeforetransitioningtothecoreimpartsgreater compressivestressestothesurfacecasematerial andimprovesthefatiguepropertiesandresistancetodeformationbyhighsinglepoint rollingcontact stressesongear teeth.
Another advantageof LPC processingover conventional carburizingisthedepthof caseattainableingear toothroots. Thepitchtoroot ratioof theeffectivecasedepthafter LPCisremarkablyuniform. Oftentimesinconventional carburizingof gears, thecasedepthintherootsof teethmayonlyamount tohalf thecasedepthpresent at themid-pitchtoothlocation. WithLPC processing, theeffectivecasedepthpresent inthegear rootsisnearlyequivalent tothecasedepthpresent at thegear toothmidpitchlocation. Thisdeeper casedepthpresent inthegear toothrootsenhancesfatiguelifeunder toothbendingconditionsandwill outperformconventional carburized
partsinthisaspect.
Another advantageof LPC istheabsenceof anyinter-granular oxidation(IGO) onthesurfaceof thepart. Thissavesthegear manufacturer fromgrindingoff thecasetoremovetheIGOandsavesvaluabletimeandmanufacturingcosts. Typically.0003 to.0007 deepIGOwill bepresent onanygearscarburizedinconventional endothermicatmospherefurnaces. Figure5
TheLPC processproducesexcellent metallurgical anddimensional resultswhicharerequiredfor highperformancetransmissiongears. Therearemanytypesof gearsandproductswell-suitedfor theLPC processandtheadvantagesof thisprocesshavebeenoutlinedabove. Themaindisadvantagesof thisprocessarethat LPC equipment iscapital intensiveandtheconsumablesareexpensive. Processengineering, operation, andmaintenancerequirehigher skill levelsthantraditional carburizing. Thereisalsoalimitationof loadsizesthat canbeprocessedasthegasquenchingrequiresthat lighter loadsbeprocessedinorder tocool themrapidlyenough.
Gas Nitriding
Thegasnitridingprocessfor casehardeningof alloysteelsallowscomplexconfigurationstobetreatedwithminimal distortion. Thisprocessisperformedat lowsubcritical temperaturesandcompletelyavoidstheproblemsof structural transformationsassociatedwithhightemperatureaustenitizingandquenchingof steel duringcarburizing. Earlier inthisarticlewedetailedthethreecausesfor distortionincarburizingwhichincludedstressrelievingof pre-existingresidual stresses, hightemperaturecreepdistortion, andphasetransformationsuponquenching. Sincetherearenophasetransformationsat lownitridingtemperatures, thereisnodistortionfromphase
changes. Thereislittleconcernfor distortionduetohightemperaturecreepat thelowsubcritical nitridingtemperatures. That leavesonlystressrelief of residual stressesasapossiblecauseof distortionduringnitriding. Inorder toeliminatethissourceof distortionatypical manufacturingsequencefor nitridedgearswouldbetoroughmachine, stressrelieveat 50degreesF abovethenitridingtemperature, final machineputtingaslittlestressintothepartsaspossible, andthennitride. Nitridingisoftenperformedonfinish-machinedcomponentswithlittledistortionandusuallyrequiresnopost-heat treatment machiningtocleanupthetolerances.
Thenitridingprocessbasicallyconsistsof placingsteel surfacesat nitridingtemperaturesincontact withammoniagas(NH3). Theammoniadissociatesat thesteel surfaceprovidingatomicnitrogenwhichcanthendiffuseintothegear, react withspecificalloyingelementsinthesteel, andformalloynitrideswhichcreatesahardenedwear resistant casebelowthegearssurface. Figure6
Therearemanybenefitsof thegasnitridingprocess. Itspurposeistoproduceaveryhard, wear resistant, loadbearingcaseinrelativelyinexpensivealloysteels. Thelowtreatment temperatureskeepdistortionandgrowthtoaminimumandit istypicallyperformedonfinish-machinedparts. Thisprocessisverysimpletorunandhasfewer variablestocontrol thantheother casehardeningprocessesdiscussedearlier. Thelack of quenchingwhichisamajor sourceof variationincarburizingresultsisnot present innitridingandallowsfor better control andgreater repeatability. Thenitridedcasealsoisnot softenedor temperedlikecarburizedgears, whichstart tolose
hardnessat temperaturesaslowas300degreesF. Nitridedcaseswill not softenuntil exposedtotemperaturesabove1000degreesF andcanwithstandhighservicetemperatures. Isolatedsurfacescanbemaskedfromnitridingandleft soft for easeof machining, welding, or other purposes. Thecorrosionresistanceof somelowalloysteelsisalsoslightlyimprovedbynitriding.
Somelimitationsof gasnitridingincludeonlybeingabletoachieveshallowcasedepths(0.030 maxfor somematerials) duetothelowdiffusiontemperatures. Thenitridingalloyselectionsarelimitedtomaterialsthat containCr, Mo, V, Ti, W, andAl aloneor incombination. Thereareoccasional problemswithspallingof thecaseif nitridingnetworksform, but thiscanbeminimizedwithproper controls. Nitridedstainlesssteelslosemuchof their corrosionresistancebynitridingaschromiumbecomesbondedtonitrogen, whichbreaksdowntheprotectivechromiumoxidelayer normallypresent onstainlesssurfaces.
Thegasnitridingprocessisareadilyavailableheat treatment processthat createsanextremelyhard, loadbearingwear resistant surfacewithdepthsrangingfrom.005 to.025 depth. It canbeperformedonmanycommonlyavailablealloysteelswithminimal sizechangeandhighretentionof coremechanical properties.
Induction Hardening Gear Teeth
Inductionheat treatingislocalizedheat treatment usedtoincreasethefatiguelife, strength, andwear resistanceof acomponent. Inductionhardeningisaccomplishedbyplacingthepart insideanalternatingmagneticfieldcausinganelectrical current toformat thesurface. Heat isgeneratedasaresult of theI2R lossesinthematerial andallowsheat treaterstoselectivelyaustenitizeonlythesurfacematerial of acomponent whileleavingthecorematerial untransformed. Not onlyisthesurfaceonlyselectivelyheated, but inductionallowsonlythosedesiredsurfacestobeheatedwhileother surfacesmaybeleft cold. Inthecaseof gearsit ispossibletoonlyaustenitizethe
near surfaceof asingletoothleavingthebalanceof thepart coldduringprocessing. Theheatedgear surfaceissubsequentlyquenchedineither water, oil, or apolymer basedquenchtotransformtheausteniteintomartensitetherebyincreasinghardnessintherequiredareawhileleavingtheremainder of thecomponent virtuallyundisturbed.
Gear Hardening: Therearenumerousfactorsthat determinetheappropriateinductionhardeningprocesstochoose. Itemssuchasgeometry, permeabilityof thematerial, anddesiredmechanical propertieswill dictateprocessingvariablessuchasfrequency, power density, andheat time.
Therearemanyfrequencyselectionstochoosefromwhenhardeninggears. Therelationshipbetweenfrequencyandcurrent penetrationdepthareinverselyproportional. Suchthat lower frequenciescausethecurrent toformat deeper depthswhilehigher frequenciesgenerateheat immediatelyadjacent tothesurface. Toothformisasignificant factor whenselectingthecorrect frequency, ashighfrequencieswill heat thetoothtipsfirst andlowfrequencieswill heat therootsfirst. Figure7
Power densityandheat timearecrucial toachievingthedesiredmechanical propertieswiththeleast amount of dimensional movement andassociatedriskof cracking. Whencalculatingpower densitiesatarget valueof 12KW/in2shouldbeusedtominimizetotal heat penetrationintothecomponent core. Heat timeshouldalwaysbeoptimizedtoachievefull transformationtoausteniteat thedesiredhardeningdepth.
Profile Induction Hardening: Profileinductionhardeningproducesatoughcorewithassociatedtensilestressesandahardenedsurfacelayer that exhibitscompressivestressinthetips, flanks, androots. Extensiveproduct validationtestinghasdeterminedthat thiscombinationof stressesbest extendthecomponentsfatiguelifeandwear resistanceover other typesof inductionhardeningwhilealsoproducingtheleast amount of dimensional movement.
Themost commonmethodof obtainingaprofilehardeningpatternistouseablend of frequenciestoactuallyheat thetips, flanks, androotsconcurrently. Thisisaccomplishedbysimultaneouslygeneratinghighandlowfrequenciesandpassingthemthroughtheinductor at thesametime. Thistypeof power supplyisrelativelynewtothemarket andisreferredtoasasimultaneousdual frequency generator. Most of theseunitsallowthetechniciantoindividuallyadjust theintensityof thevariousfrequenciesseenbythepart. Thisprovidesthemtheflexibilitytocustomizeor sculpt theshapeof thepatterntothespecificgeometryof thetooth.
Single Tooth Hardening: Singletoothhardeningisprimarilyusedtoinductionheat treat gear teethtoimprovestrengthandwear characteristics. Theprocessisaccomplishedbyhardeningonetoothroot at atime. After eachroot hasbeenhardenedthesystemindexesthepart tothenext positionandtheprocessbeginsagain. Thisprocessistimeconsumingasa55toothgear will take55hardeningcyclestocomplete. However, it isprimarilyusedtohardenverylarge, lowvolumepartsthat couldnot bedoneusingconventional equipment duetothemassivepower requirementsassociatedwithheatingtheentirepart at thesametimeor verylargediameter gearsthat will
not fit insideanyexistingcarburizingfurnaces.
Tohardenatoothroot thecoil restsinbetweentoadjacent teeth. Thisconfigurationhardensthetoothroot andtheflank of eachadjacent toothasshowninFigure8. Thismethodof hardeningprovidesstrengthandwear resistanceonthecontact areasof thegear whileminimizingdimensional movement byleavingthetoothtipsunhardened.
Conclusion
A varietyof heat treatment techniquesexist for casehardeninggears. Heat treatment processescanbetailoredtomaximizethelifeandoptimizetheperformanceof agear initsserviceapplicationbytailoringtheheat treatment toproducespecificdesiredproperties. Distortionisalwaysafactor inheat treatment processes, but it canbecontrolledandminimizedbyselectingspecificprocessingparameters, beingknowledgeableabout fixturing, usingdifferent typesof casehardeningprocesses, andtakingextrastepstoensurethegearshaveminimal stressespresent inthemprior toheat treatment that couldberelieved. Nooneheat treat processissuperior totheother, but
ultimatelytheyall compliment eachother. Havinganunderstandingof theprocessesavailablewill helpyouchoosewhichprocessisappropriatefor your gear.
About The Authors
Nicholas Bugliarello iswithBodycote. Tolearnmorecontact Zimmerman, director of technologydevelopment, at craig.zimmerman@bodycote.com. Alsogoto[www.bodycote.com].
Biji George iswithBodycote. Tolearnmorecontact Zimmerman, director of technologydevelopment, at craig.zimmerman@bodycote.com. Alsogoto[www.bodycote.com].
Don Giessel iswithBodycote. Tolearnmorecontact Zimmerman, director of technologydevelopment, at craig.zimmerman@bodycote.com. Alsogoto[www.bodycote.com].
Dan McCurdy iswithBodycote. Tolearnmorecontact Zimmerman, director of technologydevelopment, at craig.zimmerman@bodycote.com. Alsogoto[www.bodycote.com].
Ron Perkins iswithBodycote. Tolearnmorecontact Zimmerman, director of technologydevelopment, at craig.zimmerman@bodycote.com. Alsogoto[www.bodycote.com].
Steve Richardson iswithBodycote. Tolearnmorecontact Zimmerman, director of technologydevelopment, at craig.zimmerman@bodycote.com. Alsogoto[www.bodycote.com].
Craig Zimmerman iswithBodycote. Tolearnmorecontact Zimmerman, director of technologydevelopment, atcraig.zimmerman@bodycote.com. Alsogoto[www.bodycote.com].
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Heat Treat Processes for Gears - Gear Solutions Magazine http://www.gearsolutions.com/article/detail/6005/heat-treat-processes-for...
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Cryogenic Treatment of Gear Steel
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Heat Treat Processes for Gears - Gear Solutions Magazine http://www.gearsolutions.com/article/detail/6005/heat-treat-processes-for...
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