Comparison of the Effects of Carbides and Nonmetallic Inclusions on Formation of Fatigue Microcracks in Steels

Abstract

The effects of carbides and nonmetallic inclusions on formation of fatigue microcracks in steels for high-load bearings are determined. The running time is shown to affect the growth of parameter N_c/N_t for all the steels studied. The size of the carbides is shown to affect the degree of propagation of fatigue microcracks; the fraction of carbides with fatigue microcracks grows with their size. The results obtained are helpful in choosing the direction of optimization of the structure of carbide phases in bearing steels.