Effect of novel heat treatment on microstructure and dimensional characteristics of bearing rings after industrial processing

The subject of the study was the evaluation of the level of deformation of bearing rings after new heat treatment with isothermal stop, as well as observation and analysis of the obtained microstructures.It is noteworthy that the material for the study consisted of parts of the reference bearing 114-1506TNG-2Z made of 100CrMnSi6-4 steel, while heat treatments were carried out on production equipment.The methodology for preparing specimens for testing the new treatment included hot forging, annealing and turning.Five variants of heat treatments consisting of austenitizing, cooling and isothermal holding in a salt solution bath were carried out as further tests.The observed reduction in strain level (cylindricity) after the isothermal process is due to a change in the mechanism of the phase transformation and the formation of a new bainitic-type microstructure.The results encourage further research into the new heat treatment and testing of products under operational conditions.