Experimental study on the performance of superfinish hard turned surfaces in rolling contact

In this study, specimens of AISI 52100 with hardness of 62-63 Re were hard turned using different cutting parameters. Surface roughness, residual stre ss, and micro-hardness were measured. The workpieces were then tested for t he rolling contact fatigue life under several maximum Hertzian contact stre sses. Results indicate that the choice of the cutting parameters greatly af fects the surface integrity aspects of the hard turned parts and consequent ly, the fatigue life. For the range of experiments performed, it is found t hat varying the cutting parameters largely changes the fatigue life by a fa ctor up to 40 times. The repeatability of the fatigue Life of hard turned w orkpieces under the same loading is found to be much more consistent than t hat of ground workpieces. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserve d.