Patent ID: 7122086

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a rolling support device adapted for use in applications requiring high pit corrosion resistance and non-magnetic durability, said device comprising: a fixed member and a moving member each having a rolling raceway surface, and rolling elements interposed between the rolling raceway surface of the fixed member and the rolling raceway surface of the moving member in which movement of the moving member relative to the fixed member is permitted by the rolling movement of the rolling elements on each rolling raceway surface, wherein at least one of the fixed member, the moving member and the rolling elements comprises an austenitic stainless steel consisting essentially of up to 17 wt % of nickel, up to 0.03 wt % of sulfur, up to 1.00 wt % of silicon and up to 2.00 wt % of manganese, said stainless steel including substantially no ferrite, and further comprising at least one element selected from the group consisting of carbon, molybdenum, nitrogen, chromium, copper, and cobalt, with the balance iron and inevitable impurity elements, wherein at least one of the rolling raceway surface of the fixed member, the rolling raceway surface of the moving member or a surface of the rolling elements has a carburizing hardened layer containing no substantial carbides with a Vickers hardness (Hv) of 650 or more, the composition of the austenitic stainless steel satisfies the following equation (1), and at least the moving member comprises the austenitic stainless steel with a Ni equivalent amount represented by the following equation (2): 20≦(Cr)+33(Mo)≦25.7 (1); 12.8≦ Ni equivalent amount=(Ni)+(Co)+0.5(Mn)+0.3(Cu)+25(N)+30(C) ≦176(2); wherein in equation (1) (Cr) and (Mo) represent the chromium content (wt %) and the molybdenum content (wt %), respectively, and in equation (2) (M) represents the content for the ingredient M (wt %), wherein the thickness of the carburizing hardened layer is 0.5% or more and 2.1% or less of a diameter of the rolling elements, and wherein the carburizing hardened layer is formed by applying fluoriding to a material comprising an austenitic stainless steel by heating in a fluoride gas at 200° to 400° C. and then applying carburizing at a temperature of 540° C. or lower, wherein the carburizing is conducted at a reduced pressure by using an unsaturated hydrocarbon gas.