Material Selection Analysis and Industry Applications of Large Forged Gears

The core basis for material selection of large forged gears lies in load conditions, heat treatment processes, and cost-effectiveness. The material must possess high strength, high toughness, and excellent wear resistance to withstand complex working environments with heavy loads and impacts. Medium carbon alloy steels such as 42CrMo are commonly selected due to their good hardenability and excellent comprehensive mechanical properties after quenching and tempering, making them the most widely used material. For extremely high impact load conditions, carburizing steels such as 20CrMnTi can be selected to obtain a hard and wear-resistant surface layer and a tough core through carburizing and quenching.

In terms of industry applications, general-purpose alloy steel gears are commonly used in equipment such as mining machinery and heavy rolling mills. High-end carburized alloy steel gears are more suitable for critical areas such as wind turbine gearboxes and ship propulsion systems, which require extremely high strength, toughness, and fatigue strength. Scientific material selection can significantly improve gear reliability and optimize the total life cycle cost.