Work

Ultrafine martensite/bainite heterostructure achieves synergistic strength and toughness of bearing steel

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: The martensitic 100Cr6 bearing steel suffers from severe strength-toughness trade-off, restricting its service reliability. Herein, ultrafine martensite/bainite heterostructure was fabricated via rolling-induced grain refinement and austempering-enabled heterostructure. Microstructure, mechanical performance, strengthening contributions and heterogeneous deformation-induced toughening behaviors were systematically investigated via multi-scale characterization and crystal plasticity simulation. Ultrafine martensite/bainite heterostructure was obtained to achieve synergistic strength of 2150 MPa and toughness of 14.5 J/cm2. Strain mismatch at M/B interfaces induces dispersed microcracks, interfacial back stress reduces crack-tip stress intensity and induces crack deflection, while tortuous and bifurcated crack propagation paths dissipate additional fracture energy, realizing prominent strength-toughness synergy. This work provides a facile strategy for high-performance bearing steel design.

Source: Materials Research Letters

DOI: 10.1080/21663831.2026.2748306

Authors: Yuchen Du, Huiling Wang, Feng Wang, Shengyang Ding, Dongsheng Qian, Lin Hua

Institution: Wuhan University of Technology

Language: English

Topic: Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Steels

Subfield: Mechanical Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,459

Funders: Innovative Research Group Project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province, Wuhan Science and Technology Project