Ball-Bearing Steel Made with a Vacuum Induction-Furnace
1959 Volume 45 Issue 5 Pages 506-511
Details
1959 Volume 45 Issue 5 Pages 506-511
In this report, the austenitizing behaviour and durability of the ball-bearing steel, made with a vacuum induction-furnace, were researched by means of the Rockwell hardness tester, lineal analysis, X-ray integrated intensity method, electrolytic isolation method and rapid life-testing machine.
The results obtained were as follows:
(1) In the ball-bearing steel made with a vacuum induction-furnace, the gas contents and non-metallic inclusion were very little in comparison with the air-melted steel.
(2) The austenitizing behaviour of the vacuum-melted steel was not different to one of the air-melted steel.
(3) The mean cycle to flaking of the vacuum-melted steel was superior to one of SKF ball-bearing steel in the results of the rapid life-testing machine, but its difference had no reliability at 95 per cent confidence coefficient.
The standard deviation of the vacuum-melted steel was inferior to one of SKF ball-bearing steel. It is deduced from this fact that the content of non-metallic inclusions, which is considered as a main unfavorable factor of the durability of ball-bearing steel up to this time, may not be a main factor to fatigue.
