A steel for mining chain and a manufacturing method thereof, wherein the steel has compositions by weight percentage: C: 0.20-0.28%, Si: 0.01-0.40%, Mn: 0.50-1.50%, P≤0.015%, S≤0.005%, Cr: 0.30-2.00%, Ni: 0.50-2.00%, Mo: 0.10-0.80%, Cu: 0.01-0.30%, Al: 0.01-0.05%, Nb: 0.001-0.10%, V: 0.001-0.10%, H≤0.00018%, N≤0.0150%, O≤0.0020%, and the balance is Fe and inevitable impurities. The manufacturing method comprises steps of smelting, refining and vacuum treatment, casting, heating, forging or rolling, and quenching and tempering heat treatment processes. The steel in the present invention has high strength and good impact toughness, good elongation and reduction of area. The steel can also resist stress corrosion cracking and have good weather resistance, wear resistance and fatigue resistance, which can be used in scenarios where the steel having high strength and toughness is required, such as construction machinery and marine engineering.

A roller chain having at least one pair of offset links wherein the offset link plates are made with a steel having a high chromium content and are through-hardened using an austempering heat treatment (such as a salt bath quench). The resulting offset link plates may have a hardness in range of 44-50 HRC on the Rockwell hardness scale and a bainite metallurgical microstructure. The offset link plates may also have a greater fatigue strength than at least one of the inner link plates and the outer link plates. The inner and outer link plates may be formed out of a plain carbon steel which is heated, quenched and tempered to produce a martensite microstructure.

An example bushing has three portions along its radial direction including an inner portion most proximal to a central hole of the bushing, an outer portion most distal from the center hole, and a core portion between the inner portion and the outer portion. The core portion has a hardness that is less than the hardness of the inner portion or the outer portion of the bushing. The bushing may be formed using high carbon steel, which in some cases may be spheroidal cementite crystal structure. A rough bushing may be formed using the high carbon steel, followed by a direct hardening process, and an induction hardening process on the inner surface most proximal to the central hole of the bushing. The induction hardening on the inner surface may harden the outer portion while tempering the core portion of the bushing.

A steel for a tracked undercarriage component is used as a material constituting a track link (9), for example, and contains: not less than 0.39% by mass and not more than 0.45% by mass of carbon, not less than 0.2% by mass and not more than 1.0% by mass of silicon, not less than 0.10% by mass and not more than 0.90% by mass of manganese, not less than 0.002% by mass and not more than 0.005% by mass of sulfur, not less than 0.1% by mass and not more than 3.0% by mass of nickel, not less than 0.70% by mass and not more than 1.50% by mass of chromium, and not less than 0.10% by mass and not more than 0.60% by mass of molybdenum, with the balance made of iron and unavoidable impurities.

A component of a crawler type machine is hardened by explosive depth hardening. The component is typically a crawler track shoe (10), and the roller path surface (11) of the track shoe and immediate underlying metal portion are pre-hardened by placing explosive charge (15) on the surface of the track shoe (10), and detonating the explosive charge to impart a high force on the surface and underlying metal portion for a short duration. The resultant shock wave causes high-velocity deformation at a high stress level, which leads to intensive development of plastic displacement at microscopic size. This increases the hardness and the strength of the surface and underlying metal portion. The surface (11) may be hardened by repetitive explosive depth hardening. Grooves (20) may also be formed in the roller path (11) to accommodate any flow of material. Explosive depth hardening can be applied to other surfaces of the track shoe (10), such as the pin bore of a connection lug, or to other components such as a drive tumbler of the crawler.

A roller chain includes pins, bushings, rollers, inner plates and outer plates. Two bushings are connected to one another in each case by way of at least two inner plates to form a chain link. Two consecutive chain links are articulately connected to one another in each case by way of each bushing being seated on a pin projecting beyond both ends of the bushing. At least one combination, which consist of two mutually frictionally engaged components—the pin and bushing on the one hand, the bushing and roller on the other hand,—include one component consisting of austenitic stainless steel with an S-phase formed at least on the surface by way of nitriding at a temperature between about 400° C. and 500° C., and another component consisting of a stainless ferritic steel, which at least on the surface, is nitrided at a temperature between about 1000° C. and 1200° C.

An example track shoe, cutting edge, or other component of a machine is formed in a heated process, such as hot-rolling followed by air-hardening. The air-hardening process involves cooling the component by flowing air over the component (e.g., air cooling), such that the component is cooled at a controlled rate. During the air-cooling process, such as in the range of about 250° C. to about 1100° C., the component may be machined, such as by shearing, punching, drilling, etc. The machining may form the final shape of the component. As the air-hardening process is completed, and the component approaches room temperature, the component may have at least 5% bainitic crystal composition, and as high as greater than 80% bainitic crystal composition, resulting in relatively high hardness and fracture toughness. The final track shoe may have a hardness between about 40 HRC and 55 HRC.

A track link includes an elongate link body formed of a link body material that varies in hardness to form a first lower hardness zone, a second lower hardness zone, and a higher hardness zone. The higher hardness zone includes an upper rail surface of the elongate link body and extends substantially throughout the elongate link body outside of the first and second lower hardness zones, which surround the track pin bores. Related methodology for making a track link is also disclosed.

A track link includes an elongate link body formed of a link body material that varies in hardness to form a first lower hardness zone, a second lower hardness zone, and a higher hardness zone. The higher hardness zone includes an upper rail surface of the elongate link body and extends substantially throughout the elongate link body outside of the first and second lower hardness zones, which surround the track pin bores. Related methodology for making a track link is also disclosed.

The present invention aims at providing a chain with excellent wear resistance, which minimizes chain elongation, reduces vibration and noise, and improves drive efficiency. The chain according to the present invention includes at least a plurality of link plates and a plurality of pins as chain components. The pins and mutually sliding chain components sliding against the pins are formed with a hardened surface layer containing one of Cr carbide, Ti carbide, V carbide, Nb carbide, Cr nitride, Ti nitride, V nitride, and Nb nitride on part or all of respective sliding surfaces. In the case where the chain includes bushings as chain components and the bushings are the mutually sliding chain components, the bushings are formed with the hardened surface layer on part or all of their sliding surfaces.