Improved fatigue behavior of low-carbon steel 20GL by applying ultrasonic impact treatment combined with the electric discharge surface alloying

The effects of severe plastic deformation induced by ultrasonic impact treatment (UIT) and the electric discharge surface alloying (EDSA) with chromium on the stress-controlled fatigue response of low-carbon steel 20GL are studied. The surface microrelief and integrity were analyzed using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The structural formations in the sub-surface layers were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction analysis and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The steel specimens underwent UIT, and complex UIT+EDSA and UIT+EDSA+UIT processes demonstrate the fatigue strength magnitudes increased respectively by ~15, ~5 and ~30% on the base of 107 cycles in comparison with that for the pristine specimen. SEM analysis of fracture surfaces reveals the subsurface crack nucleation in the UIT-processed specimens instead of superficial crack initiation observed in the pristine and EDSA-processed ones. TEM studies demonstrate that a dislocation-cell structure forms in ferrite grains and partial dissolution of cementite occurs in pearlite grains both at the surface after UIT and in the layer at a depth of 15-25 µm after the UIT+EDSA+UIT process. The enhanced fatigue strength and prolonged lifetime of the low-carbon steel specimens after UIT and UIT+EDSA+UIT processes are concluded to be associated with the subsurface crack nucleation achieved by the following factors: (i) minimized surface roughness and improved integrity of the modified layer; (ii) compressive residual stresses; and (iii) surface hardening coupled with the alloying by chromium and with the formation of the dislocation-cell structure containing the cell walls impenetrable to moving dislocations at cyclic loading.