Effect of Pack Chromizing on Microstructure and Tribological Properties of GCr15 Bearing Steel

Yan, Dejun; Wei, Chunbei; Tang, Peng; Huang, Shuqi; Lin, Songsheng; Shi, Qian; Hong, Xiaodong

doi:10.3390/molecules30183690

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Effect of Pack Chromizing on Microstructure and Tribological Properties of GCr15 Bearing Steel

by

Dejun Yan

¹,

Chunbei Wei

^2,*,

Peng Tang

²,

Shuqi Huang

²,

Songsheng Lin

²,

Qian Shi

² and

Xiaodong Hong

^1,*

¹

Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Advanced Welding Technology for Ships, School of Materials and Energy, Foshan University, Foshan 528000, China

²

State Key Laboratory of Special Materials Surface Engineering, National Engineering Laboratory of Modern Materials Surface Engineering Technology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Modern Surface Engineering Technology, Institute of New Materials, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510651, China

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Molecules 2025, 30(18), 3690; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30183690

Submission received: 29 July 2025 / Revised: 19 August 2025 / Accepted: 8 September 2025 / Published: 10 September 2025

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electroanalysis of Biochemistry and Material Chemistry—2nd Edition)

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Abstract

Chromizing layers are widely employed in industrial applications due to their superior wear resistance and corrosion resistance. In this study, GCr15 bearing steel was chromized by a solid powder pack chromizing method, and the influence of chromizing time on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the chromized layers was systematically investigated. The results reveal the presence of fine pores dispersed both on the surface and at the chromized layers/substrate interface. The concentration of the Cr and Fe elements displays a gradient distribution throughout the layers. The chromized layers are primarily composed of (Cr,Fe)₂₃C₆ and (Cr,Fe)₇C₃ phases. With an increase in the chromizing time, the thickness and hardness of the chromized layers are gradually increased. A large number of radial and circumferential cracks are observed both within and around the indentation regions, accompanied by spalling at the edge. The brittleness of the chromized layer is increased, and the spalling phenomenon becomes more pronounced with prolonged chromizing time. The chromizing treatment significantly improves the tribological performance of GCr15 steel, reducing its wear rate to approximately one fifth of that of the untreated substrate.

Keywords: pack chromizing; chromizing time; hardness; indentation; tribological properties

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MDPI and ACS Style

Yan, D.; Wei, C.; Tang, P.; Huang, S.; Lin, S.; Shi, Q.; Hong, X. Effect of Pack Chromizing on Microstructure and Tribological Properties of GCr15 Bearing Steel. Molecules 2025, 30, 3690. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30183690

AMA Style

Yan D, Wei C, Tang P, Huang S, Lin S, Shi Q, Hong X. Effect of Pack Chromizing on Microstructure and Tribological Properties of GCr15 Bearing Steel. Molecules. 2025; 30(18):3690. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30183690

Chicago/Turabian Style

Yan, Dejun, Chunbei Wei, Peng Tang, Shuqi Huang, Songsheng Lin, Qian Shi, and Xiaodong Hong. 2025. "Effect of Pack Chromizing on Microstructure and Tribological Properties of GCr15 Bearing Steel" Molecules 30, no. 18: 3690. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30183690

APA Style

Yan, D., Wei, C., Tang, P., Huang, S., Lin, S., Shi, Q., & Hong, X. (2025). Effect of Pack Chromizing on Microstructure and Tribological Properties of GCr15 Bearing Steel. Molecules, 30(18), 3690. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30183690

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Effect of Pack Chromizing on Microstructure and Tribological Properties of GCr15 Bearing Steel

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