Steel Materials for Automotive Gears

Automotive gears endure immense pressure during power and torque transmission, making the selection of their material crucial.

Common steel materials used for automotive gears mainly include alloy steel, carbon steel, and stainless steel.

Alloy steel is the most common material for automotive gears, especially low-alloy steels such as 16MnCr5 and 20CrMnTi, which possess good comprehensive properties and can provide excellent hardness, toughness, and wear resistance. The addition of alloying elements such as chromium, nickel, and molybdenum enhances the strength and corrosion resistance of the steel, effectively extending the service life of the gears.

Alloy steel is also suitable for carburizing treatment, which, after surface hardening, can improve the wear resistance and fatigue resistance of the gears.

Carbon steel, such as C45 steel, is used in some low-load, low-speed gear transmission systems, offering good machinability but relatively poor strength and wear resistance.

In certain special applications, such as environments requiring high corrosion resistance, stainless steel gears are also used, but their strength and hardness are generally lower.