International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Research & Applications (IJMERA)

ISSN: 2347-1719
Vol. 1 Issue 5, October- 2013

Metallurgical study of Premium Quality

Aircraft Bearing Steel (AMS 6491B)
S.Rajendiran,Prof and HOD Automobile Department
Sriram Engineering College, Veppampattu
Chennai, Tamilnadu, India, Pin602024

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Abstract:- The premium quality AISI M50 (AMS 6491B) bearing steel is produced through
Vacuum Induction Melting(VIM) followed by Vacuum Arc Re-melting (VAR) process. The
grain size is minimized by proper heat treatment process. By reducing the retained
austenite level and by achieving graphite and martensite structure the required compressive
strength for bearing application is improved. Some of the mechanical properties of this
material like yield strength / UTS, compressive strength are not available for reference.
These mechanical properties of this bearing steel have been tested using a computerized
UTM machine and the results are provided. The comparative study between tensile,
compressive and contact stress of this material have been carried out and discussed in this
paper.
Keywords: Universal Testing Machine (UTM), tensile strength, compressive strength, vacuum
hardening, cryogenic treatment

1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Rolling Element Bearings

Bearing is a machine element, which supports

another machine element and permits relative motion
between them while carrying load. Load may be
radial, axial or combined, which can be supported by
a bearing. A bearing consists of mainly 4 elements,
namely, outer race, inner race, rolling elements (balls
or rollers) depending on the type of bearing and a
cage. Bearings of different precision class find usage
in several applications.
The bearings for aircraft application require
high level (L1) reliability and P4 and P5 precision
class of accuracies. These bearings are running at
very high speed and working in stringent
environmental conditions. Bearings used in aircrafts
experience vibration, shock, misalignment, thermal
stresses and debris. The working environment is
given below:

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Speed range
Temperature range
Life
DN number range

9000 to 56000 rpm

-540C to 2250C
L1
0.43 to 0.9 millions

Therefore, the bearing material should provide

temperature
resistance,
microstructure
and
dimensional stability under temperature extremes and
provide 100% reliability.[1,2]
1.2 Bearing Material Quality
Studies have been carried out in production of
these bearing steels at very high purity since 1950.
The common commercial bearing steel is AMS
6440K (SAE 52100). Steel used to produce Aircraft
bearings should possess high dimensional stability.
Clean steels with improved mechanical properties,
produced by vacuum melting and casting techniques

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International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Research & Applications (IJMERA)

ISSN: 2347-1719
Vol. 1 Issue 5, October- 2013

provide improved rolling contact fatigue resistance

[3].
The steel making process had a dominant effect
on the subsequent performance of the material[4].
Vacuum treatments and refining can be beneficial.
Heat treatment is important for control of structure;
the optimum heat treatment varies for steels made by
different manufacturing processes. There appears to
be a trend towards improved rolling contact fatigue
life with fatigue strength [5].
High-speed, high-temperature machinery has
created unprecedented needs for better design and
materials for rolling-element bearings. Coupled with
these requirements is the higher ratio of thrust-toweight in current aircraft turbojet engines. Reliability
of these bearings becomes a major consideration
because of system complexities. Studies have been
undertaken to improve the fatigue characteristics of
presently available bearing steels. Results of these
studies are seen in improved steel making techniques,
better forging techniques, and manufacturing and
fabricating processes[6]

2. VACUUM HEAT TREATMENT

2.1 Process
Bearing steels for high precision bearings are
subjected to vacuum hardening and multi tempering
process to achieve rolling contact fatigue and sliding
wear performance[10]. Vacuum heat-treating consists
of thermally treating metals in heated enclosures and
is evacuated to partial pressures compatible with the
specific metals and processes. Furnace equipment
used in vacuum heat treatment differs widely in size,
shape, construction and method of loading.

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1.3 AISI M50 Bearing Steel

As increased demands were placed upon

bearings used in aircraft engines, M50 high-speed
steel was selected for applications requiring high
temperature service. This alloy achieves its maximum
hardness by the phenomena of secondary hardening.
Hence, M50 has good strength at elevated
temperatures. Mo and V primarily cause secondary
hardening in this alloy. The major disadvantage of
M50, or other high-speed steels, is that the high
carbon and alloy content of the alloy greatly
decreases its fracture resistance or toughness.
Considering previous knowledge of the inherent
benefits of using carburized components, a low
carbon version of M50 was developed. The carbon
variety was named M50-Nil; its nominal composition
is: 0.13% C, 4.20% Cr, 3.40% Ni, 4.25% Mo, and
1.2% V. The low carbon nickel added variant of M50
has excellent fracture toughness. [8, 9].

The need of high reliability (L1 life), high

degree of dimension stability bearings in Aerospace
application working with wide range of
environmental extremities leads the development of
the premium quality AISI M50 (AMS 6491B)
bearing steel. It has been produced through vacuum
induction melting followed by Vacuum Arc Remelting process. The material cleanliness is very
high. The chemical composition as per [7] of this
material is tabulated in Table 1.
Table 1 Chemical composition of
AISI M50 steel
Element
Carbon
Chromium
Cobalt
Copper
Manganese
Molybdenum
Nickel
Phosphorus
Silicon
Sulphur
Tungsten
Vanadium

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Percentage
min
0.80
4.00
0.15
4.00
0.90

The proper heat treatment plays a vital roll in

reorganizing/ orienting the grain structure and
modifying the mechanical prosperities of the
material. The retained austenite, which will be
converted during the operation, will cause adverse
effects to the system. Hence the retained austenite
levels, to be minimized, to an optimum level. The
TTT diagram of M50 steel is shown in Fig .1 [11,12].

max
0.85
4.25
0.25
0.1
0.35
4.50
0.15
0.015
0.25
0.008
0.25
1.10

Fig.1 M50 steel TTT

diagram

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International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Research & Applications (IJMERA)

ISSN: 2347-1719
Vol. 1 Issue 5, October- 2013

2.2 Advantages

3.2.1 Retained Austenite

Heat treatment
canspecimen
significantly influence
Fig.2. Test
several rolling-element bearing material properties.
Most bearing procurement specifications do not
designate heat treatment but rather call for certain
material characteristics such as grain size and
hardness, which are controlled by the heat treatment
cycle. Hardness is the most influential heat treat
induced variable, in rolling-element fatigue. In
general higher the material hardness, longer is the
life. Zaretsky, based upon his work, introduced a
relationship; inwhich he approximates the effect of
bearing material hardness on fatigue life [9].

Retained austenite is a softer grain structure

always present after heat treatment. By applying
cryogenic treatment, retained austenite is transformed
into the harder, more durable grain structure martensite. The range of retained austenite in a
material, after heat-treatment, may be as high as 50%
or as low as 3%. The amount depends on the heattreating operator and the accuracy of the heat-treating
equipment. Cryogenic treatment simply continues the
conversion initiated by heat treatment, whereby
almost 100% of the retained austenite is converted to
martensite. As greater amounts of retained austenite
are transformed, and wear resistant martensite is
increased, the material obtains a more uniform
hardness.

Where L1, and L2 are the bearing 10-percent lives, at

bearing hardness of RC2 and RC1, respectively and m
is a material constant, which can be taken as 0.1.
3. DEEP CRYOGENIC TREATMENT
3.1 Process

Fine eta carbide particles (precipitates) are

formed during the long cryogenic soak (chromium
carbides, tungsten carbide, etc., depending upon the
alloying elements in the steel). These are in addition
to the larger carbide particles present before
cryogenic treatment. These fine particles or "fillers",
along with the larger particles, form a denser, more
coherent and much tougher matrix in the material.

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The process is based on a predetermined

thermal cycle that involves cooling of the tools/parts
in a completely controlled cryogenic chamber. The
material is slowly cooled to -190C and "soaked" at
that deep cryogenic temperature for 20-40 hours. The
material is then allowed to return very slowly to
ambient temperature. The complete cryogenic cycle
can take up to 70-75 hours to complete. This
procedure of precisely controlled temperature profiles
avoids any possibility of thermal shock and thermal
stress that is experienced when a tool or part is
subjected to abrupt or extreme temperature changes.
In this process liquid nitrogen is used as a refrigerant.

3.2.2 Fine Carbide Precipitates

4. SPECIMEN PREPARATION FOR

PROPERTY TESTING
4.1 Machining

The tensile, compression, and impact specimens

have been machined from round AISI M50 steel bar
as per IS 1608 [13]. The specimens were machined in
CNC lathe as per drawing shown in Fig. 2.

Cryogenic processing is not a substitute for heat

treatment, but rather an extension of the heating /
quenching / tempering cycle. In most instances a heat
tempering follows the cryogenic cycle. As all alloys
do not have the same chemical constituents, the
tempering procedure varies according to the materials
chemical composition, thermal history and/or a tools
particular service application.

Fig.2a. Tensile specimen

3.2 Advantages
It is reported that two main changes in the
microstructure of the steel occur as a result of
cryogenic treatment. These changes are the principal
reasons for the dramatic improvement in wear
resistance.

Fig.2b. Tensile specimen

Fig.2c. Compression specimen

Fig. 4. UTM
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International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Research & Applications (IJMERA)

ISSN: 2347-1719
Vol. 1 Issue 5, October- 2013

this method the change in the resistance of strain

gauges attached to the beam is adapted into a
computer system for recording the load-elongation
curve. The UTM used for these test is shown in Fig. 4
4.2 Heat Treatment

5.2 Tensile Testing of M50 Steel

The specimens were vacuum hardened under

10-5 mbar vacuum furnace. The heat treatment cycle
is shown in fig.3a & 3b. The observed hardness is 6264 HRC and the retained austenite level is < 3% [14].
HEAT TREATMENT CYCLE (M50)
1200

117 122

TEMP (deg.)

1000
60

800

90
420

600

840

540

1260

960

1380

400
200
180

150
0

600
240

-200
200

360
400

1020

660
600

780
800

1440
1200

1080
1000

1200

The tensile testing has been conducted in two

modes. The test specimen with threaded grip failed at
the threaded portion. As the material is very hard &
brittle, the roots of the threads acted as micro crack
initiators, during heat treatment. Then the specimen
is prepared as per Fig. 2a with knurled grips. During
testing the V shaped grips of the UTM whipped off.
Then the specimen shown in Fig 2b was used for the
testing. The test results of tensile strength 2550 MPa
is obtained. The stroke vs stress is shown in Fig. 5

1400

TIME (min)

Fig.3a. Vacuum hardening, Triple Tempering

HEAT TREATMENT CYCLE (M50)

Stress(N/mm2)

50
-50

-150
-250
0

10

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TEMP (deg.)

150

20
30
TIME (min)

40

50

Fig.3b. Cryogenic treatment

Stroke strain %
Fig.5. Tensile strength of M50 steel

After heat treatment the metallurgical inspection

was carried out and the test results are tabulated in
Table .2 [15].
Hardness
HV30
770

Stress(N/mm2)

Grain size
(ASTM E 112)
8-9

Retained
Austenite
< 3.%

Table 2. Metallurgical inspection results

5. PROPERTY TESTING
5.1 Universal Testing Machine
In a tensile test, the ends of a test piece are fixed
into grips, one of which is attached to the loadmeasuring device on the tensile/compression machine
and the other to the straining device. The strain is
applied by means of a motor-driven crosshead and its
relative movement indicates the elongation/
compression of the specimen. The load necessary to
cause this deflection may be obtained from the elastic
deflection of either a beam or a proving specimen,
which is measured by electromechanical methods. In

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Stroke strain %
Fig.6. Compressive strength of M50 steel
5.3 Compressive Testing of M50 Rod
The compression testing has been conducted
5mm diameter cylinder. The specimen drawing is
shown in Fig. 2c [16]. The test specimen has been
placed between two disks of same material with 10
mm thickness. The hardness of the disk was 63 HRC.
The obtained test result of compressive strength is
4632 MPa. The stroke vs stress is shown in Fig. 6

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Table.3. Tensile vs compressive strength ISSN: 2347-1719

of M50 steel
Test
5.4 Compressive Testing of M50 Ball
Rolling element bearings are mainly depends on
the contact stress developed between the contacts of
races and rolling elements. (Hertz contact stress).
During loading in the testing machine the contact
area keeps on changing. This effect has been
evaluated by keeping a ball between two discs. The
test result is shown in Fig.7

Vol. 1 Issue 5, October- 2013

Yield
Specimen
strength
Dia (mm)
(N/mm2)

Compressive
Tensile

5
4.456

3153
2190

Tensile
strength
(N/mm)
4632
2550

6.2 Compressive Strength of M50 Steel Ball vs

Cylinder

Force(kN)

The contact stress between a spherical ball and

flat surface has been studied with respect to a
cylinder on disc. The cylinder flat face has been
seated on flat disk. It reveals that Hertzian contact
strength is enormously high than the normal
compressive strength of the material. The results are
tabulated in Table 4 and the comparative graph is
shown in Fig. 8b.
Table 4. Compressive strength Ball vs cylinder of
M50 steel
Specimen
Crushing force
Test
Dia (mm)
(kN)
Cylinder
5
90.79
Ball
5
143.62

Stroke (mm)
Fig.7. Compressive strength of M50 steel Ball

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6. COMPARATIVE STUDY
6.1 Tensile vs Compressive Strength of M50 Steel

0.
17
0.
67
1.
17
1.
67
2.
17
2.
67
3.
17
3.
67

Force (kN)

The specimens are prepared form same heat

material. These specimens were machined and heat
treated in single lot with same heat treatment cycle. It
was assumed that the material is having
homogeneous structure. The observed hardness is 63
HRC and the gauge portion surface finish is < Ra 0.2.
The test results are compared in Table 3. The
graphical comparison is shown in Fig. 8a.

160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0

M50 Steel Compressive Strength Ball

vs Cylinder

Stroke (mm)
5000.00

M50 Steel T ensile vs Compression

Comp -Cylinder

Comp - Ball

Fig.8b. Compressive strength Ball vs

cylinder of M50 steel

Stress N/mm2

4000.00
3000.00
2000.00

7.0 CONCLUSION

1000.00

0
5.
0

4.
3

2.
6

2.
1

1.
6

1.
1

0.
6

0.
1

0.00

Stroke (mm)
T ensile curve

Compression curve

Fig.8a. Tensile vs compressive strength of

M50 steel

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M50 (AMS 6491B) steel is used in making

precision bearings operating at high temperature
conditions. The processes of this steel are new to this
sub continent. The metallurgical process of producing
raw material and the heat treatment process are
established. The material properties like yield
strength, tensile strength and compressive strength
are not available for new bearing designers. This test
results will give a base to this sub-continent and to
provide awareness for further developments and
application in Aerospace industry. The test result
clearly indicates that this material possesses high

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International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Research & Applications (IJMERA)

ISSN: 2347-1719
Vol. 1 Issue 5, October- 2013

level of contact stress, which is the prime

requirement of high reliable bearing manufacturing.
The suitable gripping device to test the tensile
strength of higher hardness AMS 6491B state of art
bearing steel material has been developed.
Acknowledgements
It is to convey our thanks to Dr.M. Srinivas and
his team of DMRL, Hyderabad and to
Shri. Sudharshan and his team of Tube Products India
Ltd, Chennai for their extended co-operation, in
carrying out these studies on AISI M50 steel.
8.0 References
1.

SKF General Catalogue, 5000E, June

2003, p139

2.

Philip K. Pearson, The History and Future

of Aircraft Turbine Engine Bearing Steels
Bearing steels : Into 21st Century, ASTM
STP 1327, 1998.

4.

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Scott. D and Mccullagh p. J The effect of

residual gas content on the performance of
rolling bearing materials Wear, 34,1975
227 237.

NASA,

TM

88881,

10. Streit, E. and Trojahn,W., Dublex

Hardening for Aerospace Bearing Steels
Bearing steel Technology, ASTM STP
1419, J.M. Beswick, Ed., PA 2002
11. Richard j.P and Erwin v.Z. Rolling
element fatigue life of Ausformed M-50
steel balls, NASA, TN D-4954, Dec 1968.
12. ASM Heat Treaters guide, Practices and
procedures for iron and steels, 2nd edition,
1995, pp 431,669
13. IS 1608:1995, Mechanical Testing of
Metals Tensile testing, May 2002, UDC
669: 620.172.
14. Mahibalan A, Chandrasekaran C Heat
treatment of high precision bearing steel
18th National seminar on Aerospace
Research in 21st century prospects and
challenges, Kharagpur, Nov 2004.

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3.

life Application,
November 1986.

Tedric. A. Haris, Rolling Bearing

Analysis, ed. 4, 2001,pp 594,590,591.

5.

Scott D and Blackwell j., The effect of

some manufacturing variables on the
performance of high-speed tool steel ball
bearings Wear, Dec 1970.

6.

Barry M Glasgal, Bearing Steels 20/20

A steel makers view point a look back 20
years and a look forward 20 years Bearing
steels : Into 21st Century, ASTM STP 1327,
1998.

7.

AMS 6491B, Premium aircraft quality for

bearing applications, double vacuum melted,
Feb 2000.

8.

Dennies W.H., Carburizable High speed

Steel Alloys Bearing steel Technology,
ASTM STP 1419, 2002.

9.

Erwin V. Zaretsky Lewis Selection

Rolling-Element Bearing Steels for Long

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15. DMRL, Metallurgical analysis of AISI M50

steel, Report No. DMRL/MR/2008/03 dt.0804-2008
16. ASTM STD E-28, Compression Testing of
Metallic Materials at room Temperature,
Sep 25, 1981.