Effect of Austempering on Mechanical Properties of Nb/V Microalloyed Bainitic Bearing Steel

In this study, a multi-element microalloyed GCr15Si1MoNbV bainitic bearing steel was designed by adding trace amounts of Nb and V. The bainite/martensite/retained austenite/undissolved carbide multiphase bearing steel with a short heat-treated cycle and remarkable comprehensive mechanical properties was prepared via low-temperature austempering, which was compared with a traditional quenched and tempered martensitic microstructure. The results showed that the comprehensive mechanical properties of the low-temperature bainitic microstructure of the Nb/V microalloyed bearing steel were better than those of a traditional tempered martensitic microstructure. In addition, as the isothermal temperature increased, the impact toughness of experimental steel was significantly improved, and the hardness decreased slightly. The tensile strength was improved with the increase in isothermal time. As the isothermal temperature increased, the bainite content of the experimental steel rose, and the stability of the retained austenite enhanced due to more carbon atoms being partitioned into it. The research work in this paper made a preliminary exploration for the application of Nb/V microalloyed bainitic bearing steel in the bearing field and provided some basic data for reference.