Surface Strengthening Mechanism of High-strength Steel by Ultrasonic Surface Rolling Process

WANG Haojie; WANG Xiaoqiang; TIAN Yingjian; LING Yuanfei

doi:10.16490/j.cnki.issn.1001-3660.2025.23.017

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Surface Technology ›› 2025, Vol. 54 ›› Issue (23) : 223-237. DOI: 10.16490/j.cnki.issn.1001-3660.2025.23.017

Surface Strengthening Technology

Surface Strengthening Mechanism of High-strength Steel by Ultrasonic Surface Rolling Process

WANG Haojie, WANG Xiaoqiang^*, TIAN Yingjian, LING Yuanfei

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Abstract

To reveal the microstructural evolution, including grain refinement, dislocation structures, and texture changes, during the surface strengthening process of ultrasonic surface rolling process (USRP), an in-depth analysis is conducted through electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), to provide a theoretical basis for precise surface performance control of high-strength 42CrMo steel while establishing a novel guideline for optimizing surface properties in other high-strength steel and metallic materials. USRP, as a high-frequency vibration-assisted mechanical treatment, introduces severe plastic deformation (SPD) into the material surface, significantly altering the microstructure of the surface and enhancing the mechanical performance of the surface. To analyze these effects, quenched 42CrMo steel samples are subject to USRP under optimized parameters, and their grain boundary characteristics, dislocation structures, and crystallographic texture evolution are examined before and after USRP. The results indicate that USRP markedly improves the surface integrity of 42CrMo steel by converting residual tensile stress into residual compressive stress, with a maximum compressive stress of -1 030 MPa. Additionally, the surface hardness increases from its initial value to 697HV, while the surface roughness decreases to 0.179 μm, demonstrating enhanced wear resistance and fatigue performance. EBSD analysis reveals that the severe plastic deformation induced by USRP leads to significant grain orientation evolution in the surface layer of 42CrMo steel, characterized by a preferential transformation from the initial <101> orientation to <001> and <111> orientations. The fraction of low-angle grain boundaries (LAGBs) increases significantly from 18.9% to 37.5%, and the average grain size is refined from approximately 40 μm to below 10 μm. Moreover, the formation of a {112}<110> texture is observed, along with clear evidence of dynamic recrystallization occurring during USRP. The strengthening mechanism of USRP can be attributed to the combined action of ultrasonic energy and high-frequency mechanical vibrations on the material surface, which induces a high density of dislocations and twin structures within the grains. As plastic deformation progresses, the interaction between dislocations and twins leads to entanglement and accumulation at grain and twin boundaries, promoting the formation of low-angle grain boundaries and enhancing grain refinement. The high strain rate and localized thermal accumulation create favorable conditions for dynamic recrystallization, as evidenced by grain orientation rearrangement and the nucleation of new grains. Dynamic recrystallization further refines the microstructure and enhances the mechanical properties of the material, representing a key mechanism by which USRP significantly improves the surface performance of components. These findings confirm that USRP is an effective surface enhancement technique for high-strength steel, offering substantial improvements in fatigue strength, wear resistance, and overall surface integrity. Compared with conventional mechanical surface treatments such as shot peening and deep rolling, USRP provides superior microstructural refinement and stress redistribution due to its unique ultrasonic vibration-assisted mechanism. These results provide valuable insights into the role of microstructural evolution in surface strengthening and offer practical guidance for optimizing USRP parameters to achieve superior surface properties in engineering applications. The methodology and findings of this study also hold promise for broader applications in aerospace, automotive, and precision manufacturing industries, where high-performance surface-treated components are critical for reliability and durability. Future research should focus on further refining the USRP through numerical modeling and experimental validation to optimize the balance between microstructural refinement, residual stress distribution, and mechanical performance enhancement.

Key words

high-strength steel / microstructural strengthening mechanism / USRP / grain evolution / DRX

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WANG Haojie, WANG Xiaoqiang, TIAN Yingjian, LING Yuanfei. Surface Strengthening Mechanism of High-strength Steel by Ultrasonic Surface Rolling Process[J]. Surface Technology. 2025, 54(23): 223-237 https://doi.org/10.16490/j.cnki.issn.1001-3660.2025.23.017

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