AN EFFECT OF GRINDING ON MICROHARDNESS AND RESIDUAL STRESS IN 20MnCr5 FOLLOWING SINGLE-PIECE FLOW LOW-PRESSURE CARBURIZING

The aim of the experiment described in the paper was to determine the effect of selected conditions of abrasive machining on the size and distribution of microhardness and residual stresses developed in the technological surface layer of flat specimens made of 20MnCr5 steel. The specimens were subjected to single-piece flow low-pressure carburizing (LPC) and high-pressure gas quenching (HPGQ) in a 4D Quenching chamber, in order to achieve the effective case depth of ECD=0.4 mm. This was followed by grinding the specimens with Quantum and Vortex alumina grinding wheels made by Norton. Cooling and lubricating liquid were supplied to the grinding zone in both cases by the flood (WET) method and by the minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) method. The measurements for each specimen were made twice - after the thermo-chemical treatment and after the grinding. Microhardness and residual stress was measured by the X-ray method sin2Ψ. The final part of the article provides an analysis of the measurement results and presents conclusions and recommendations for further studies.