Friction and Wear Properties of Cr-Ni-Mo High Strength Steel Treated by Shot Peening Combined with Ultrasonic Rolling

ZHANG Yalong; XIA Yanfei; WU Luji; SHI Dapeng; LIU Le; QU Shengguan; HE Xiang

doi:10.16490/j.cnki.issn.1001-3660.2025.19.015

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Surface Technology ›› 2025, Vol. 54 ›› Issue (19) : 173-185. DOI: 10.16490/j.cnki.issn.1001-3660.2025.19.015

Surface Strengthening Technology

Friction and Wear Properties of Cr-Ni-Mo High Strength Steel Treated by Shot Peening Combined with Ultrasonic Rolling

ZHANG Yalong¹, XIA Yanfei¹, WU Luji², SHI Dapeng³, LIU Le³, QU Shengguan^4,*, HE Xiang¹

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Abstract

As the core component of the transmission system, gears are an important guarantee for the overall performance of the engine. From a global perspective, aviation equipment accidents caused by gear fatigue failure are not uncommon, with about 74% of transmission gear failures caused by contact fatigue. Based on 950 sets of fatigue test data from aerospace transmission gears, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center has revealed that surface roughness and subsurface compressive residual stresses serve as critical regulatory factors for gear fatigue life. Surface topography irregularities induce stress concentration, acting as preferential sites for fatigue crack initiation, while subsurface compressive residual stress establishes physical barriers against fatigue failure by suppressing crack propagation rates. Synergistic optimization of these two factors could increase gear fatigue life by 2-3 orders of magnitude. Tooth surface fatigue failure initially originates from tooth surface friction and wear, leading to accelerated initiation and propagation of fatigue cracks. How to effectively suppress tooth surface friction and wear is the key to improving the service life of aviation gears. Strengthening modification is an effective way to improve the wear resistance and service life of gears. In this study, a hybrid surface enhancement strategy combining ballistic impact treatment with acoustic energy processing was developed to improve tribological characteristics and mechanical performance of aerospace transmission components. The methodology employed sequential energy-field modulation, initially generating substantial near-surface compressive stresses via high-velocity particle bombardment, followed by ultrasonic-assisted precision finishing to achieve superior surface integrity. Through multi-physics modeling and advanced material characterization techniques, the synergistic effects on stress distribution patterns, microstructural evolution, and surface topography modification were quantitatively evaluated. Numerical simulation and experimentation were combined to study the effects of different parameters on residual stress distribution, and the advanced characterization techniques were integrated for comprehensive evaluation, such as microstructure examined through transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and the 3D topography instrument (Keyence VR-6000) was used to observe the morphology change of the specimens after friction and wear tests and obtain the worn profile curve. The Brooke UMT multifunctional friction and wear testing machine was used to study the friction and wear performance of gear steel ball disc contact pairs under room temperature conditions. Post-treatment analysis revealed optimized compressive stress states reaching -920 MPa magnitude, representing a 25% enhancement over conventional surface treatment benchmarks. After ultrasonic rolling and polishing, the impact craters disappeared, and the surface roughness decreased to 0.377 μm. Moreover, significant grain refinement and dislocation entanglement were formed on the surface of the specimen after composite strengthening. The difference in plastic deformation caused by different rolling forces (Series. 1-Series. 3) led to changes in surface microstructure characteristics, which was the main factor affecting the friction coefficient. Compared with single shot peening or ultrasonic rolling treatment, the friction coefficient reduction of composite strengthening treatment was more significant, because the surface craters formed by shot peening had certain micro texture effect. The friction coefficient of the original specimen decreased from 0.105 to 0.064, and the wear volume decreased from 0.442 mm³ to 0.204 mm³. Compared with a single treatment process (shot peening or ultrasonic rolling), the wear volume reduction of composite strengthening treatment is more significant, the synergistic effect of multiple strengthening mechanisms can effectively improve the wear resistance of materials, and under optimized process parameters, the maximum wear volume reduction can be 53.85%. Moreover, the wear mechanism shifts from fatigue wear of the original specimen to failure modes of oxidation wear, abrasive wear, and bonding wear. After combined treated, the surface integrity and friction and wear properties of gear steel specimens are significantly improved.

Key words

shot peening / ultrasonic rolling / high strength steel / surface strengthening / friction and wear / strengthening mechanism

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ZHANG Yalong, XIA Yanfei, WU Luji, SHI Dapeng, LIU Le, QU Shengguan, HE Xiang. Friction and Wear Properties of Cr-Ni-Mo High Strength Steel Treated by Shot Peening Combined with Ultrasonic Rolling[J]. Surface Technology. 2025, 54(19): 173-185 https://doi.org/10.16490/j.cnki.issn.1001-3660.2025.19.015

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