Patent ID: 6258179
Filing Date: 2001-07-10
Classification: C23C

Abstract:
A carburized part produced by carburizing a steel workpiece in an atmosphere having a carbon potential adjusted so that the surface carbon content of the workpiece becomes 1.2 to 2.0 wt %, preventing cementite precipitation at a surface layer of the workpiece during the carburization, and then cooling the workpiece to a temperature equal to or lower than Al transformation temperature and reheating the workpiece so that 5 to 20% by volume cementite having an average grain size of 1 .mu.m or less disperses and precipitates in the carburized surface layer and the grains of said dispersed, precipitated cementite make austenite crystal grains present in the carburized layer finer, so that said austenite crystal grains have a grain size equal to or higher then ASTM grain size #9,the steel workpiece containing 0.2 to 2.0 wt % Al and having the composition satisfying the requirement described by 1.9.gtoreq.-5.61(Si wt %)-7.2(Al wt %)+1.1(Mn wt %)+2.1(Cr wt %)-0.9(Ni wt %)+1.1(Mo wt %)+0.6(W wt %)+4.3(V wt %), when the amount of Cr is 3.5 wt % or less.