THE INFLUENCE OF HEAT TREATMENT ON PROPERTIES OF STEEL FOR CEMENTATION

During the injection molding procedure of plastics, the gear pumps in their work are exposed to the effect of elevated pressure and temperature. On one of these pump there has been frequent downtime due to breakage of the driven gear. Gears which were installed as standard spare parts had stood out in operation for three months. On a sample of a broken gear were perfomed laboratory examinations (metallographic examinations, hardness control on cross-section and surface of the fracture was examined). Conclusion was that it was high quench hardening of a steel of which a part is made, the most likely cause of the fracture of a standard gear. In order to extend the useful life, two test gear are made from steel for cementation 20MnCr5. By applying the appropriate parameters of thermal chemical treatment useful life of the gear is significantly extended, after which the test gears have worked for nine months from the moment of installation.