Effects of Shot Peening Pressure, Time, and Material on the Properties of Carburized Steel Shafts

Carburized steel shafts are commonly used in industry due to their good wear resistance and fatigue life. If the surface of carburized shafts exhibits an undesired tensile stress, shot peening treatment may be required to alter the stress condition on the surface. In the present study, the effects of shot peening pressure (3-5 kg/cm²), time (32-64 s), and material (stainless steel, carbon steel, and glass) on the residual stress, retained austenite, microhardness, and surface roughness of the carburized shafts were investigated. The experimental results showed that the surface residual tensile stress was changed into compressive stress after the shot peening treatment. The shot peening effects increased with the increasing peening pressure and time. In addition, a significant decrease in the amount of retained austenite in the subsurface region was observed. Peening with different materials can affect the peening effect. Using glass pellets exhibited the best shot peening effect but suffered massive pellet fracture during processing. In overall consideration, the optimal peening parameters for carburized steel shafts for practical industrial applications involved using the stainless-steel pellets with a peening pressure of 5 kg/cm² and a peening time of 64 s. The maximum residual stress was -779 MPa at a depth of 0.02 mm, while the highest surface microhardness was 827 HV_0.1.