Homology analysis of structures of high carbon bearing steel: effect of repeated quenching on prior austenite grain size

Abstract

To estimate the effect of quenching on metal structures, the analysis process is very important. It was found that use of quenching reduced the prior austenite grain size greatly and the change in compressive stress at the surface of the material had a great effect on its strength. If we can estimate the change of the grains in the structure quantitatively, we can easily evaluate the effect of the quenching process. However, the structures are too complex to apply ordinary image analysis methods. In this paper, we propose a new method for analysing changes in steel structures. By use of this method, we confirm the effect of repeated quenching on the distribution of grains.