Characterization of the plasticity parameters of the surface-modified layer of 18CrNiMo7-6 alloy steel after carburizing heat treatment through the indentation method

A surface-modified layer (SML) can play an important role in the durability and in-service behavior of key components, but characterization of the mechanical properties of SML is complex. In this paper, an indentation method to characterize the plastic parameters of the SML is proposed. The method combines indentation tests and finite element simulation to analyze the plastic parameters of the SML. The yield strength and hardening index of the SML for 18CrNiMo7-6 alloy steel, before and after heat treatment, were characterized using the proposed method. After heat treatment, the yield strength and hardening index decreased gradually along the depth. The results obtained agree with the tensile test results. (c) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

This study proposes an indentation method combined with finite element simulation to analyze the plastic parameters of the surface-modified layer (SML). Experimental results on 18CrNiMo7-6 alloy steel show that the hardening index and yield strength of SML decrease along the depth after heat treatment, which is consistent with tensile test results.