The author investigated the durability of plain carbon and Si-Mn spring steel by Matsumura's repeated impact testing machine. The results obtained are as follows:
Si-Mn steel is considered superior to plain carbon in durability when impact energy is beyond a certain limit: the opposite is true when the impact energy is below that limit.
Tensile strength and yielding point versus equal hardness is lower in Si-Mn steel than in plain carbon steel but elongation, reduction and durability are higher in Si-Mn steel.
Tensile strength. and yielding point versus equal hardness is lower in Si-Mn steel with higher Si and Mn content, but elongation, reduction and durability are higher in that case.
The durability varies with elongation and reduction.