On the Chemical Composition of Non-Metallic Inclusions in Ultra-Clean Gear Steels

Abstract Fisheye failures due to non-metallic inclusions can lead to the reduced endurance fatigue limit of case-hardened, shot-peened gears. Various approaches for preventing crack initiation at non-metallic inclusions are conceivable. As one approach, steel manufacturers have invested much effort in the steelmaking process to produce ultra-clean gear steels. Such ultra-clean gear steels were investigated in a gear research project. For each steel batch, different measures were taken during steel production to avoid or bind off non-metallic inclusions in order to reduce or even suppress the harmful effect of the non-metallic inclusions. However, the influence of the measures taken on the chemical composition of non-metallic inclusions in such ultra-clean gear steels is not investigated in the gear industry in detail so far. Therefore, in the framework of this publication, the chemical composition of non-metallic inclusions in ultra-clean gear steels is investigated. Furthermore, a comparison of the chemical analysis with the crack-initiating inclusions from the experimental investigations is performed.