Quenching Deformation of the 16MnCrS5 Gear Steel for Automobile

doi:10.11900/0412.1961.2023.00038

Acta Metall Sin

2025, Vol. 61

Issue (4): 597-607 DOI: 10.11900/0412.1961.2023.00038

Research paper

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Quenching Deformation of the 16MnCrS5 Gear Steel for Automobile

QU Xiaobo¹(

), AN Jinmin¹, WANG Lin², LI Xi²(

)

1 Jiangsu Yonggang Group Co. Ltd., Suzhou 215628, China
2 School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China

Cite this article:

QU Xiaobo, AN Jinmin, WANG Lin, LI Xi. Quenching Deformation of the 16MnCrS5 Gear Steel for Automobile. Acta Metall Sin, 2025, 61(4): 597-607.

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Abstract

The 16MnCrS5 gear steel, known for its exceptional machinability and hardenability, is commonly utilized in the production of gears and worms in the automotive industry. However, the quenching process of this steel tends to provoke deformation, leading to increased wear and an inability of gear teeth to mesh. This issue seriously restricts the broader use of 16MnCrS5 gear steel. This study explores the quenching deformation of 16MnCrS5 gear steel through a combination of experimental research and numerical simulation to provide theoretical insight to mitigate this deformation in industrial production. The quenching deformations of C-notch samples derived from 16MnCrS5 gear steel, varying in grain size, banded structures, and hardenabilities were first measured. Subsequently, employing the deform finite element analysis software, the temperature field, stress field, and phase field during the quenching of these samples were simulated, thereby visually portraying the corresponding quenching deformation processes. The results indicate that the quenching deformation of 16MnCrS5 gear steel escalates with an increase in grain size and the proportion of banded structures. For instance, the sample with a grain size of 75 μm demonstrated nearly double the quenching deformation of the sample with a grain size of 22 μm. Moreover, when the grade of the banded structure surpasses 3, the quenching deformation of the sample markedly increases. Concurrently, the results revealed a positive correlation between quenching deformation and hardenability of 16MnCrS5 gear steel. Specifically, when the hardness at 9 mm from the quenching end (J9) > 32.2 HRC, the sample's core is largely martensitic, showing a stronger correlation with hardenability. Conversely, when J9 ≤ 32.2 HRC, there is noticeable bainitic transformation in the sample's core, resulting in a weaker correlation between the quenching deformation and hardenability. The experimental research and numerical simulations suggest that the intrinsic mechanism of quenching deformation in 16MnCrS5 gear steel is mainly attributable to thermal stress and martensitic transformation-induced stress. Notably, the temporal and spatial inhomogeneity of the martensite transformation in time and spatial distribution is the predominant factor affecting the quenching deformation of 16MnCrS5 gear steel.

Key words: 16MnCrS5 gear steel quenching deformation grain size banded structure hardenability

Received: 02 February 2023

ZTFLH:

TG142

Fund: National Natural Science Foundation of China(51690164);Zhangjiagang Science and Technology Plan(ZKCXY2146)

Corresponding Authors: QU Xiaobo, senior engineer, Tel: 18962200729, E-mail: qubo6101@163.com;
LI Xi, professor, Tel: 13764420935, E-mail: lx_net@sina.com

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https://www.ams.org.cn/EN/10.11900/0412.1961.2023.00038 OR https://www.ams.org.cn/EN/Y2025/V61/I4/597

Fig.1 C-notch specimen for the measurement of quenching deformation and 5 characteristic points (P1-P5) of the geometrical model for numerical simulation (unit: mm. w—width)

Fig.2 Measurements of the phase-transformation parameters of 16MnCrS5 gear steel
(a) time-temperature-transformation (TTT) curves (A, F, P, B, and M denote austenite, ferrite, pearlite, bainite, and martensite, respectively; M_s, M_f, A_c1, and A_c3 are martensite transformation start temperature, martensite transformation finish temperature, start temperature of transformation from pearlite to austenite during heating, and finish temperature of transformation from ferrite to austenite during heating, respectively. 1% and 99% represent the transformation variables of 1% and 99%, respectively)
(b) continuous cooling transformation (CCT) curves

Fig.3 Tensile true stress-strain curve at ambient temperature (a) and the simulated flow stress curves of the theoretical constituent phases (martensite, bainite, austenite, ferrite, and pearlite) at 500 ^oC (b) for 16MnCrS5 gear steel with a grain size of 22 μm

Fig.4 Jominy hardness curves of the 16MnCrS5 gear steels with different hardenabilities (J9 represents the hardness at 9 mm from the quenching end)

Fig.5 OM images of the 16MnCrS5 original sample (a) and that after annealing at 1150 ^oC for 10 min (b) and 60 min (c)

Fig.6 Quenching deformations of the 16MnCrS5 C-notch samples obtained by experiment and simulation as function of grain size

Fig.7 Numerical simulated temperature (a) and struc-tural stress (b) change curves as function of time at P3 of samples with different grain sizes during quenching (Inset in Fig.7a is the close-up view of the purple frame region)

Fig.8 OM images showing the banded structure morphologies of the 16MnCrS5 samples after hot rolling with water-colling (a), air-cooling (b), and furnace cooling (c)

Fig.9 Quenching deformations of the 16MnCrS5 C-notch samples obtained by experiment and simulation as function of band structure grade (TD—transverse direction, RD—rolling direction)

Fig.10 Jominy hardness curves of the 16MnCrS5 and TL4227 gear steels

Fig.11 Quenching deformations of the 16MnCrS5 and TL4227 C-notch samples obtained by experiment and that of the 16MnCrS5 structural models with different hardenabilities calculated by simulation (a), martensite transformation distribution of the sample with J9 = 38.8 HRC (b), and bainite transformation distribution of the sample with J9 = 32.2 HRC (c)

Fig.12 Numerical simulated martensite volume fraction (a) and structural stress (b) change curves as function of time at P4 of the C-notch samples with different hardenabilities during quenching

Fig.13 Analyses of quenching deformation of 16MnCrS5 gear steel
(a) curves of quenching deformation of the 5 characteristic points with time
(b) temperature difference between notch and core changes over time
(c) variation of martensite proportion with time at P4

Fig.14 Microstructure characterizations of the quench-ing deformed 16MnCrS5 gear steel
(a) SEM image
(b) EBSD inverse pole figure (IPF) grain orientation map
(c) corresponding kernel average misorientation (KAM) map

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