Effect of Deep Cryogenic Heat Treatment on the Wear Behavior of Carburized DIN 1.7131 Grade Steel

The effects of the deep cryogenic heat treatment on the microstructural changes, wear resistance, and hardness of carburized DIN 1.7131 grade steel were investigated. Results show that cryogenic heat treatment reduced the retained austenite and increased the carbide amount. In addition, after the cryogenic heat treatment, carbide shows a more uniform distribution, as compared to the conventionally treated ones. It was also clarified that the hardness of the cryogenically treated samples was improved, but the relative improvement decreases with the distance as the surface increases. It has been shown that the wear resistance improves due to the cryogenic heat treatment, and the predominant wear mechanism is a combination of the adhesive and tribo-chemical wear.