Effects of accelerated electron beam irradiation on surface hardening and fatigue properties in an AISI 4140 steel used for automotive crankshaft

This study is concerned with the effects of high-energy accelerated electron beam irradiation on surface hardening and improvement of fatigue properties in an AISI 4140 steel currently used for automotive crankshaft. The 4140 steel specimens were irradiated in air by using a high-energy electron beam accelerator, and then microstructure, hardness, and fatigue properties were examined. Beam power was varied in the range of 5.2∼7.7 kW by changing beam current. Upon irradiation, the unirradiated microstructure containing band structure was changed to martensite and bainite in the carbon-rich zone or ferrite, bainite, and martensite in the carbon-depleted zone. This microstructural modification improved greatly surface hardness and fatigue properties due to transformation of martensite whose amount and type were determined by heat input during irradiation. Thus, high-energy electron beam irradiation can be effectively applied to the surface hardening process of automotive parts. In order to investigate the thermal cycle during electron beam irradiation of quickly rotating specimens, the thermal analysis was also carried out using an analytical computer simulation. Analytical solutions gave information about the peak temperature, heating and cooling rate, and hardened depth to correlate with the overall microstructural modification.