Provided is steel for nitrocarburizing with excellent surface fatigue strength. The steel has a nitride compound layer with a thickness of 5.0 μm to 30.0 μm and a hardened layer in an order from a steel surface to steel inside, where a thickness of a porous layer on an outermost surface of the compound layer is 3.0 μm or less and 40.0% or less of a compound layer's thickness, the hardened layer has hardness of HV600 or more, HV400 or more and HV250 or more at 50 μm inward from the steel surface, from the steel surface to the steel inside of 400 μm, and from the steel surface to the steel inside of 600 μm, respectively, an unhardened portion excluding the compound and hardened layers has a predetermined chemical composition, and the hardened layer has a chemical composition with a higher N content than the unhardened portion.

Provided is steel for nitrocarburizing with excellent surface fatigue strength. The steel has a nitride compound layer with a thickness of 5.0 μm to 30.0 μm and a hardened layer in an order from a steel surface to steel inside, where a thickness of a porous layer on an outermost surface of the compound layer is 3.0 μm or less and 40.0% or less of a compound layer's thickness, the hardened layer has hardness of HV600 or more, HV400 or more and HV250 or more at 50 μm inward from the steel surface, from the steel surface to the steel inside of 400 μm, and from the steel surface to the steel inside of 600 μm, respectively, an unhardened portion excluding the compound and hardened layers has a predetermined chemical composition, and the hardened layer has a chemical composition with a higher N content than the unhardened portion.

A method for fabricating an article includes forming a billet consisting essentially of a stainless steel composition of manganese 2.00 wt. %-24.00 wt. % chromium 19.00 wt. %-30 wt. % molybdenum 0.50 wt. %-4.0 wt. % nitrogen 0.25 wt. %-1.10 wt. % carbon ≤1 wt. % phosphorus ≤0.03 wt. % sulfur ≤1 wt. % nickel <22 wt. % cobalt <0.10 wt. % silicon ≤1 wt. % niobium ≤0.80 wt. % oxygen ≤1 wt. % copper ≤0.25 wt. % balance iron.
The billet is annealed and cold worked to form an article. Without annealing of the article, the article is subsequently case hardened at a single case hardening temperature to form a surface layer on a top surface thereof. Articles formed with the indicated stainless steel composition with case hardened surface layers are also provided.

A method for heat treating a steel component, the method comprising steps of: (a) carbonitriding the steel component and (b) ferritically nitrocarburizing the steel component.

A method for heat treating a steel component, the method comprising steps of: (a) carbonitriding the steel component and (b) ferritically nitrocarburizing the steel component.

A method for producing a case-hardened martensitic stainless steel article includes: providing an article comprised, at least in part, of a martensitic stainless steel, carburizing the article within a temperature range of 1625° F.-1680° F. (885° C.-916° C.), and then carbo-nitriding the article within a temperature range of 1575° F.-1625° F. (857° C.-885° C.). An article, such as a bearing ring, comprising such a case-hardened martensitic stainless steel is also disclosed.

A method for producing a case-hardened martensitic stainless steel article includes: providing an article comprised, at least in part, of a martensitic stainless steel, carburizing the article within a temperature range of 1625° F.-1680° F. (885° C.-916° C.), and then carbo-nitriding the article within a temperature range of 1575° F.-1625° F. (857° C.-885° C.). An article, such as a bearing ring, comprising such a case-hardened martensitic stainless steel is also disclosed.

A rolling-contact shaft member, which is made of high-carbon steel and whose outer peripheral surface serves as a rolling-contact surface that rolling-contacts a mating material, includes: a carbonitrided layer having a carbon concentration of 1.1 to 1.6 wt % and a nitrogen concentration of 0.05 to 0.6 wt % in the range from the surface to the depth of 10 μm. The rolling-contact shaft member has a Vickers hardness of 700 to 840 HV at the outer peripheral surface and has a Vickers hardness of 600 HV or less in its central portion. A maximum value of an absolute value of a gradient of a change in the Vickers hardness from the outer peripheral surface to the central portion is 100 to 340 HV/mm.

A rolling-contact shaft member, which is made of high-carbon steel and whose outer peripheral surface serves as a rolling-contact surface that rolling-contacts a mating material, includes: a carbonitrided layer having a carbon concentration of 1.1 to 1.6 wt % and a nitrogen concentration of 0.05 to 0.6 wt % in the range from the surface to the depth of 10 μm. The rolling-contact shaft member has a Vickers hardness of 700 to 840 HV at the outer peripheral surface and has a Vickers hardness of 600 HV or less in its central portion. A maximum value of an absolute value of a gradient of a change in the Vickers hardness from the outer peripheral surface to the central portion is 100 to 340 HV/mm.

A process for manufacturing a bellows, made of austenitic high-grade steel with high compressive strength and fatigue strength, forms a single-layer or multilayer sleeve into a bellows with hydraulic forming. The pressure resistance and fatigue strength are improved by the bellows being cleaned after the forming and by the bellows being exposed to a surrounding area containing carbon and/or nitrogen atoms at temperatures between 100° C. and 400° C., preferably 200° C. to 320° C. With this a hardening of the bellows takes place by means of the diffusing in of carbon and/or nitrogen atoms. A bellows made of austenitic high-grade steel with one or more layers created in this manner has the edge layer hardened by the incorporation of carbon and/or nitrogen atoms up to a hardening depth of at least 5% of the wall thickness.