THE INFLUENCE OF CRYOGENIC TREATMENT ON THE HARDNESS OF ROLLING BEARINGS’ BALLS

11th International Scientific Conference Research and Development of Mechanical Elements and Systems IRMES (2025) [pp. 1-4]   

AUTHOR(S) / AUTOR(I): Jovana ANTIĆ , Žarko MIŠKOVIĆ , Danilo PEJČIĆ , Martin DIX , Alexander PIERER , Jürgen HEIDRICH, Matthias DEMMLER

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DOI: 10.46793/IRMES25.001A

ABSTRACT / SAŽETAK:

This study examines the effects of Deep Cryogenic Treatment (DCT) applied after conventional quenching (Q) and tempering (T) on the hardness of rolling bearing balls—a geometric shape that has been significantly less studied compared to other sample forms, such as plates or cylindrical specimens. The primary objective is to determine whether DCT, when applied to commercially available rolling bearing balls (supplied by the manufacturer after completing Q and T), negatively impacts their performance or enhances it. The bearing balls analyzed in this study were from bearing types 6306, 6308, and 6310, manufactured from 100Cr6/AISI 52100 steel. The DCT process involved a controlled cooling rate of 1.5°C per minute, a soaking temperature of -160°C, and a soaking duration of 24 hours. Experimental results revealed that the hardness of the bearing balls remained largely unchanged, with a percentage variation of less than 1% across all tested bearings. Although previous studies on the same bearing material have suggested that DCT can improve hardness, our findings indicate that this effect may not be as significant when DCT is applied to bearing balls after quenching and tempering under the specific conditions of this study. Future research will explore the influence of DCT on additional factors such as dimensional stability, surface roughness, and residual stress to gain a more comprehensive understanding of its overall impact on bearing performance.

KEYWORDS / KLJUČNE REČI:

Deep Cryogenic Treatment; Rolling bearings; Ball bearings; 100Cr6 material; Hardness

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT / PROJEKAT:

The results presented in this paper are the results of the cooperation between the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Belgrade (Belgrade, Serbia) and Fraunhofer Institute (Chemnitz, Germany) within study supported by the Ministry of Science, Technological Development, and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia under Contract No. 451-03-137/2025- 03/200105, dated February 4, 2025.

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