Investigation of Austempering Effect on Fatigue Crack Growth of AISI 4140 Steel

The compact tension (CT) and tensile specimens of the AISI 4140 steel in cold rolling condition (untreated steel) were austempered by immersing it into the salt bath at 362°C for 60 minutes. The tensile strength properties and the fatigue crack growth (FCG) resistance were performed to investigate the effect of the austempering process in AISI 4140 steel. A significant increase in the yield strength for austempered steel is about 8.7 % and the elastic strain energy increases by 55.7 %. Austempered steel's fatigue crack cycle is longer than that of untreated steel. Data of stress intensity factor range (ΔK, MPa.m1/2) and FCG rate (da/dN, m/cycle) was constructed in double log plot x-y axes for determining the materials constants m and C according to Paris’s law equation using a linear regression method. From the curve of ΔK versus da/dN, the constant m value for austempered steel (m = 3.45) shows better resistance than untreated steel (m = 3.77). On the other hand, the constant C value of 1.409×10-12 for austempered steel is one order magnitude higher than that of untreated steel (C = 4.151×10-13). The resistance of austempered steel against fatigue crack growth can be attributed to the formation of a bainite structure.