Hot Rolled Gcr15 Bearing Alloy Steel Plate 52100 High Strength 1500mm

AISI 52100 steel is the representative of high carbon chromium bearing steel type. And it also can be called ISO 100Cr6 steel, GB GCr15 steel. After quenching and tempering, its hardness would be high and uniform. Its wear-resistance and fatigue strength are high and with good combination properties. And also with great hot workability. After spheroidizing annealing, it has great processability, but it is easy to get the flake. It is used to make the steel ball, bushing, running pulley of the transmission shaft of the internal combustion engine, electric locomotive, machine tools, tractors and etc. 52100 alloy steel has lower alloy contents and with high hardenability. The wear resistance of it is better than GB GCr9 steel. If you feel interested in it, you can check 52100 steel composition, properties and heat treatment as below.

100Cr6 Steel Applications

It can be used to make all kinds of bearing rings with max diameter 2500mm and max wall thickness 12mm.
And it is good material for dies, precision measuring tools and other machine fittings with high wear-resistance and fatigue strength.
And due to its properties, people usually use it to make the steel balls, Needle roller bearing and shafts.

Production of 52100 Alloy Steel

The requirement of the quality of smelting for bearing steel is extremely high. It is very important to control the content and distribution of sulfur, phosphorus and nonmetallic inclusion. Because the content and distribution of the nonmetallic inclusion have a great impact on the service life of bearing steel. The more content of it is, the service life will be less. In order to raise the quality of smelting, many factories use the electric arc furnace to do that, and with the electroslag remelting.

52100 Steel Heat Treatment

Partial Annealing

Make the temperature up to 770-790℃, furnace cooling to 550℃ below after the thermal retardation, and then out of the stove to air cooling. The requirement of hardness is 187-229HBS.

Isothermal Spheroidizing Annealing

First of all, heat it to get 770-790℃, after being isothermal at 680 ~ 700 ℃, it will be cooled with the furnace to below 550 ℃ and then air-cooled. The hardness of 100Cr6 steel must be 187-229HBS.

Stress Relieving

Heat it up to 600-700℃, stay the temperature, furnace cooling. The need for the hardness of mold steel is 187-229HBS. The characters remove the work hardening and residual stress.

Normalizing

Heat it until the temperature at the range of 930-950℃, maintain the temperature, air cooling. The hardness needs to be 302-388HBS.

Tempering

Heat to 150-190℃, stay the temperature for 2 hours, furnace cooling. The hardness is 58-62HRC.

Quenching and Tempering

Heat it at the 840-860℃ for quench, oil cooling, make the temperature up to 660-680℃ for tempering, use the furnace cooling or air cooling after the time of heat preservation. The need for hardness is 197-217HBS. The characteristic is that the high-temperature quenching can eliminate the defects of the carbide structure, and the fine tempered sorbite structure obtained by the high-temperature tempering prepares the work for re-quenching. While improving the toughness, increase the strength, then quench, heating temperature 820 ~ 840 ℃, oil cooling.

52100 Steel Physical Properties

52100 Steel Mechanical Properties

1. As the temperature raised in tempering, the hardness will decrease after tempering. The usual tempering temperature for 52100 alloy steel is 160-180 ℃.
2. It is usually be quenched at the range for temperature is 830-860 ℃. Most of way is oil cooling. The best quenching heating temperature is 840℃. After quenching, the hardness can up to 63-65HRC. But at the practical condition, The quenching temperature will be different, according to the size of die section and the different quenching mediators.