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PITTING FATIGUE CHARACTERISTICS

OF AIS1 M-50 A N D SUPER
NITRALLOY SPUR GEARS

by Dennis P. Townsend, Jumes L. Chevalier,

and Erwin V. Zuretsky
Lewis Reseurch Center
and
U.S. Army Air Mobility RGD Ldkoratory
clevelund, Ohio 44135
&

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION * WASHINGTON, 0. C. * APRIL 1973

 PITTING FATIGUE CHARACTERISTICS OF AIS1 M-50
AND SUPER NITRALLOY SPUR GFARS
by Dennis P. Townsend, James L. Chevalier,
and Erwin V. Zaretsky
Lewis Research Center and
U. S. A r m y A i r Mobility R & D Laboratory

SUMMARY

Two groups of 8.89-centimeter- (3.50-in. -) pitch-diameter spur gears, without tip

relief, made from consumable-electrode vacuum-melted (CVM) A I S M-50 steel and
CVM Super Nitralloy (5Ni-2Al) were tested under conditions which produced fatigue pit-
ting. The Rockwell C hardness of the M-50 material was 62 and that of Super Nitralloy
w a s 61.5. Test conditions included a speed of 10 000 rpm, a maximum Hertz stress of
190x107 newtons per square meter (275 000 psi) at the gear pitch line, and lubrication
with a super-refined, naphthenic mineral oil having an additive package.
At a 90-percent probability of survival, the M-50 gears had fatigue lives approx-
imately 50 percent longer than the Super Nitralloy gears. However, the difference in life
w a s not considered statistically significant. Both groups of gears failed from classical
rolling-element fatigue at the pitch circle. That is, the gear teeth failed because of
spalling which appeared to originate from subsurface initiated cracks. The spa11 was
limited in area and depth of penetration. Spalled M-50 gears that were deliberately over-
run failed because of fatigue fracture within 2 hours after spalling had occurred. Under
the same conditions, gears made from the Super Nitralloy material did not fracture.
W e a r measurements across the gear teeth indicated that more wear occurred with
the M-50 material than with the Super Nitralloy material. However, the difference in
wear was not considered significant.

INTRODUCTlON

Present emphasis on heavy -lift, vertical-takeoff -and-landing (VTOL) and short-

takeoff -and-landing (STOL) type aircraft is demanding improved power densities for
gearboxes. This means high gear loading and increased speed capability with lighter
gears. At the same time, inkreased temperature requirements will make it more dif-
ficult to operate the gears at these more severe conditions.
One of the limitations of gear technology that prevent meeting the improved require-
ments is a lack of knowledge relating to gear materials that ape notch insensitive and
have increased surface load carrying capacity. Gear teeth will fail because of tooth
breakage and surface distress in addition to rolling-element fatigue. Increased gear -
tooth loading will, of course, aggravate these problems.
Much tooth bending endurance testing has been performed on gears over a period of
several decades; the results of such tests (ref. l), however, have not been definitive.
Results obtained in rolling-element fatigue tests (ref. 2) show that the following param-
eters can significantly affect fatigue life: material hardness, material heat treatment,
lubricant type and batch, temperature, surface finish, operating speed, and contact
stress. Unfortunately, these variables have not been carefully controlled (or have not
been controlled at all) in gear testing. In some instances, insufficient tests were per-
formed whereby the conclusions derived from these tests were statistically inconclusive.
Furthermore, some tooth bending fatigue tests which have been performed (ref. 3) have
been more a case of fretting fatigue, wherein tooth fracture occurs at the incipient spa11
caused by the fretting.
An advanced material which has been used in aircraft gear applications is Super
Nitralloy (5Ni-2A1). This material has shown good gear load carrying capacity (ref. 1).
This material is similar to Nitralloy N except for the addition of 2 percent nickel and
1 percent aluminum to give it better hot hardness capability and better nitriding capa-
bility. The Nitralloy N material has been used for aircraft gears and splines for many
years and was used for high temperature lubricant testing in references 4 and 5. Bend-
ing fatigue tests (ref. 1)of Super Nitralloy (SNi-2A1) gear teeth indicate that this mate-
rial has very good strength properties at temperatures to 644 K (700' F).
Another material which has wide acceptance in aircraft applications for moderate to
high temperatures is AISI M-50 steel (ref. 6). This material has been used mainly as a
bearing steel. However, there has been limited application of this material for gears in
aircraft accessory gear boxes. This material has an operating temperature potential
(ref. 7) in excess of 589 K (600' F).
The objective of the research reported herein was to compare under closely con-
trolled test conditions the fatigue lives and failure modes of test spur gears made of
Super Nitralloy (5Ni-2Al) and of AISI M-50 steel.
In order to accomplish these objectives, tests were conducted with groups of 8.89-
centimeter - (3.5 -in. -) pitch-diameter spur gears made of consumable -electrode vacuum -
melted (CVM) Super Nitralloy (5Ni-2Al) and CVM AIS1 M-50 steel, at a temperature of
350 K (170' F), a maximum contact (Hertz) s t r e s s of 190x107 newtons per square meter
(275 000 psi), and at a speed of 10 000 rpm. All experimental results were obtained with
2
a super-refined, naphthenic mineral oil having a proprietary additive package (from one
lubricant batch) plus a 5-percent antiwear additive. All gears of each material were
manufactured from a single lot of that material.

APPARATUS, SPECIMENS, AND PROCEDURE

Gear Test Apparatus

The gear fatigue tests were performed in the NASA Lewis Research Center's gear
test apparatus, shown in figure 1. This test rig uses the four-square principle of apply-
ing the test gear load so that the input drive need only overcome the frictional losses in
the system.
A schematic of the test rig is shown in figure l(b). Oil pressure and leakage flow is
supplied to the load vanes through a shaft seal. A s the oil pressure is increased on the
load vanes inside the slave gear, torque is applied to the shaft. This torque is trans-
mitted through the test gears back to the slave gear, where an equal but opposite torque
is maintained on the slave gear by the oil pressure. This torque on the test gears, which
depends on the hydraulic pressure applied to the load vanes, loads the gear teeth to the
desired stress level. The two identical test gears can be started under no load, and the
load can be applied gradually, without changing the running track on the gear teeth.
Separate lubrication systems a r e provided for the test gears and the main gearbox.
The two lubricant systems a r e separated at the gearbox shafts by pressurized labyrinth
seals. Nitrogen was used as the seal gas.
The fluid used for the main gearbox lubrication and for the hydraulic system is f i l -
tered through a 30-micrometer filter and is water cooled to 297 K (75' F). Hydraulic
pressure up to 690x104 newtons per square meter (1000 psi) can be supplied to the load
actuator to give a gear tooth maximum load capability of 6672 newtons (1500 lb). The
test gear lubricant is filtered through a 5-micrometer fiber-glass filter. The test lubri-
cant can be heated electrically with an immersion heater to a maximum of 589 K
(600' F). The skin temperature of the heater is controlled to prevent overheating of the
test lubricant,
A vibration transducer is mounted on the gearbox, adjacent to the test gears, and is
used to automatically shut off the test r i g when a gear-surface fatigue failure occurs.
The gearbox is also automatically shut off if there is a loss of oil flow to either the main
gearbox or to the test gears, if the test gear oil overheats, or if there is a loss of seal
gas pressurization.
The test rig is belt driven with a 18 650-watt (25-hp) motor and can be operated at
several fixed speeds by changing pulleys. The operating speed for the tests reported
herein was 10 000 rpm.
3
 (a) Cutaway view.
Figure 1. -NASA Lewis Research Center's gear fatigue test apparatus.

4
 I- Slave gear
I

Test
gears 4

(b) Schematic diagram. CD-11421-15

Figure 1. - Concluded.

Test Lubricant

All tests were conducted with a single batch of super-refined naphthenic mineral-oil
lubricant having proprietary additives (antiwear, antioxidant, and antifoam). The phys-
ical properties of this lubricant are summarized in table I. Five percent of an extreme-
pressure additive, designated Anglamol 81, with a chemical analysis as given in table 11,
was added to the lubricant. Lubricant flow rate was held constant at 800 cubic centi-
meters per minute, and lubrication was supplied to the inlet mesh of the gear set by jet
lubrication. The lubricant inlet temperature was constant at 319,t6 K (115°&100 F), and
the lubricant outlet temperature was nearly constant at 350*3 K (1700*50 F). This outlet
temperature was measured at the outlet of the test-gear cover. A nitrogen cover gas
was used throughout the test as a base-line condition which allowed testing at the same
conditions at much higher temperatures without oil degradation. This cover gas also re-
duced the effect of the additives on the gear surface boundary lubrication by reducing the
chemical reactivity of the additive -metal system by excluding oxygen.

5
 TABLE I. - PROPERTIES O F SUPER-REFINED, NAPHTHENIC, MINERAL-OIL TEST LUBRICANT

Kinematic viscosity, cm 2/sec (cS),at

266 K (20' F) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2812X10-2 (2812)
311 K (100' F) . . . . . . . ............ ................ 73X10-2 (73)
372 K (210' F) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.7X10-2 (7.7)
477 K (400' F) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.6X10-' (1.6)
Flash point, K eF) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 489 (420)
Autoignition temperature, K (OF) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 664 (735)
Pour point, K ?F) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236 (-35)
Density at 289 K (60' F), g/cm 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.8899
Vapor pressure at 311 K (100' F), mm Hg (or t o r r ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 . 0 1
Thermal conductivity at 311 K (100' F), J/(m)(sec)(K) (Btu/(hr)(ft)eF)). . . . . . . . . . . 0.04 (0.0725)
Specific heat at 311 K (100' F), J/(kg)(K) (Btu/(lb)eF)) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 582 (0.450)

TABLE 11. - PROPERTIES OF LUBRICANT ADDITIVE ANGLAMOL 81

Percent phosphorous by weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.66

Percent sulfur by weight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.41
Specific gravity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.982
Kinematic viscosity at 372 K (210' F), cm 2/sec (cS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29. 5X10-2 (29.5)

Test Gears and Materials

The test gears used in the tests reported herein are shown in figure 2. Dimensions
for the test gears are shown in figure 3 and are summarized in table III. All gears had a
nominal surface finish on the tooth face of 0.406 micrometer r m s (16 pin. rms) and a
standard 20' involute tooth profile without tip relief.
The test gears were manufactured from two materials. These were CVM Super
Nitralloy (5Ni-2A1) and CVM AISI M-50 steel. The chemical compositions of these mate-
rials are given in table IV.
The gears manufactured from the CVM AISI M-50 material were through-hardened
to a Rockwell C hardness of 62kl in accordance with the heat-treatment schedule of
table V. Figure 4 is a photomicrograph of an etched and polished surface showing the
microstructure of the AISI M-50 material. The carbide cluster apparent in the micro-
graph indicates that the M-50 material perhaps was not worked enough to break up the
carbide formations. A condition such as this may have some adverse effect on fatigue
life.
The gears manufactured from the C V M Super Nitralloy (5Ni-2A1) material were ni-
trided to a Rockwell C hardness of 61.5*1, at a case depth of 0.046 to 0.061 centimeter
(0.018 t o 0.024 in. 1, with a maximum white layer of 0.0013 centimeter (0.0005 in. 1.

6
 C-72-32U)

Figure 2. - CVM AIS1 M-M gears with black oxide coating.

(0.75 in. 1
C D- 11422-15

Figure 3. - Test-gear configuration. Dimensions not shown in this figure are given in table 111.

7
 TABLE III. - GEAR DATA
[Gear tolerance per AGMA class 12. ]

Number of teeth. . . . . . . . .. . .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Diametral pitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... . ................... .... 8
Circular pitch, cm (in.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.9975 (0.3927)
Whole depth, cm (in.) . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.762 (0.300)
Addendum, cm (in. 1 . . . . . . .. .. , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.318 (0.125)
Chordal tooth thickness reference, em (in. ) . . . . . . . , , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.485 (0.191)
Pressureangle, d e g . ... .
.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
.
Pitch diameter, cm (in. . . . . . . , . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.890 (3.500)
Outside diameter, cm (in.) . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.525 (3.750)
Root fillet, cm (in.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.102 to 0.152 (0.04 to 0.06)
Measurement over pins, cm (in. ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.603 to 9.630 (3.7807 to 3.7915)
.
Pin diameter, cm (in. ). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.549 (0.216)
Backlash reference, cm (in.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.0254 (0.010)

TABLE IV. - CHEMICAL COMPOSITION O F

GEAR MATEFUALS BY PERCENT WEIGHT

Element Gear material

US1 M-50 steel h p e r Nitralloy

(5Ni-2A1)

Carbon 0.85 0.24

Manganese .28 .25
Phosphorous . 010 .005
Sulfur .004 .003
Silicon .23 .22
Copper .06 -----
Chromium 4. 17 .58
Molybdenum 4.23 .26
Vanadium .97 .12
Nickel .08 5. 16
Cobalt .03 --_-_
Tungsten .08 -----
Aluminum . ----- 2.06
Iron Balance Balance

8
TABLE V. - HEAT -TREATMENT PROCESS FOR AISI CVM
M-50 STEEL AND CVM SUPER NITRALLOY GEARS

(a) CVM Super Nitralloy (5Ni-2A1)

Process remperature,
(%
- K

1 Normalize 1200 (1700)

2 Rough machine
3 Copper plate
4 Austenitize
5 Oil quench
6 Temper to Rockwell C 30 to 36
7 Strip copper
8 Semifinish machining
9 Copper plate
10 Stress relieve
11 Strip copper
12 Nitride
Case depth, 0.046 to 0.061 em
(0.018to 0.024 in.)
Case hardness, Rockwell C 61.f
Core hardness, Rockwell C 44
-
*
Preliminary heat treatment after rough machining

1 Austenitize 1117 (1550) 0.5

2 Air cool t o Rockwell C 26 to 32 ---------- ---
3 Copper plate all over ___------- ---
Final heat treatment

4 I Preheat in neutral salt bath I 1075 (1475) I 0.5

5 Transfer to neutral salt bath 1395 (2050) 0.5
6 Quench neutral salt bath 839 (1050) 5
7 Air cool 311 to 339 ---
(100to 150)
8 Temper 839 (1050) 2
9 Deep freeze 172 (-120) 2
10 Retemper 839 (1050) 2
-

9
 Figure 4. - Photomicrograph of etched and polished surface of AIS1 M-50 steel.

(The white layer is iron nitride which forms during the nitriding process. By proper
control of the nitriding conditions, the depth of the white layer can be kept t o a minimum. 1
The core hardness was Rockwell C 444. The Super Nitralloy gears were heat treated in
accordance with the schedule of table V.
The gears were ground before nitriding and had a mat finish due to the nitriding
process. Photomicrographs of etched and polished surfaces showing the microstructure
of the Super Nitralloy material a r e presented in figure 5.
The short-term (30 min) hot hardness data (from refs. 7 and 8) for the AISI M-50
and the Super Nitralloy materials a r e shown in figure 6. This figure shows that the AISI
M-50 material has a slightly better short-term hot hardness characteristic than the
Super Nitralloy material.

Test P roced u re

The test gears were cleaned to remove the preservative and were assembled on the
test rig. The test gears were run in an offset condition, with a 0.28-centimeter (0.110-
in. 1 tooth-surface overlap to give a load surface on the gear face of 0.25 centimeter
(0.100 in.) of the 0.635-centimeter- (0.250411. -1 wide gear, thereby allowing for edge
radius of the gear teeth. By testing both faces of the gears, a total of four fatigue tests

10
 a,
L
a
3
Ln

0.
m
YI
V
m

11
 -
1200 ', from ref. 7)

0
U Y
al-
al- L
5 800- c
3
c
m m
al
L a
I, '- Super Nitralloy core
n. n.
E .5 and case (data from
-m
al
c -
c

.-m
.- I
g 400- c
al

2 2

OL
- m
0 8 16 24
Decrease in Rockwell C hardness value
of material
Figure 6. -Normalized short-term (30 mini hardness
data (from refs. 7 and 8) for AISI M-50 and for
Super Nitralloy case and core.

could be run for each set of gears. All tests were run-in at a load of 2713 newtons per
centimeter of face (1550 lb/in. of face) for 1 hour. The load was then increased to
7525 newtons per centimeter (4300 lb/in. ) and 190x107 newtons per square meter
(275 000 psi) pitch-line Hertz stress.
The test gears were operated at 10 000 rpm, which gave a pitch-line velocity of
46.55 meters per second (9163 ft/min). L-ubricant w a s supplied to the inlet mesh at
800 cubic centimeters per minute at 319*6 K (115*10° F). The tests were continued
24 hours a day until they were shut down automatically by the vibration-detection trans-
ducer located on the gearbox, adjacent to the test gears. The lubricant was circulated
through a 5-micrometer fiber-glass filter to remove wear particles. A total of
3800 cubic centimeters (1 gal) of lubricant was used for each test and was discarded,
along with the filter element, after each test. Inlet and outlet oil temperatures were
continuously recorded on a strip-chart recorder.
The pitch-line elastohydrodynamic (EHD) film thickness was calculated by the
method of reference 9. It was assumed, for this film thickness calculation, that the gear
temperature at the pitch line was equal to the outlet oil temperature and that the inlet oil
temperature to the contact zone was equal to this gear temperature, even though the oil
inlet temperature was considerably lower. It is probable that the gear surface temper-
ature could be even higher than the oil outlet temperature, especially at the end points of
sliding contact. The EHD film thickness for the above conditions was computed to be
0.65 micrometer (26 pin. ), which gave a ratio of film thickness to composite surface
roughness (h/a) of 1.13.

12
 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Two groups of test gears made from CVM AISI M-50 steel and CVM Super Nitralloy
(5Ni-2A1) were run in pairs until a failure occurred. A total of nine tests were carried
out with each gear material. Each test was terminated when a fatigue spall occurred on
one of the two gears. Test results were determined by considering each pair of gears as
a system of nine tests for each material and as individual gears for 18 tests each.
Pitting fatigue results for the gear system made from the AISI M-50 material are
shown in figure 7(a). The failure index (i.e. , the number of fatigue failures out of the

Gear-system life, revolutions

(a) AISI M-50 steel. (b) Super Nitralloy (5Ni-2AI). (c) Comparison of results.
Figure 7. - Pitting fatigue lives of spur-gear systems made of CVM AISI M-50 steel
and of CVM Super Nitralloy (5Ni-2AI). Maximum Hertz stress at pitch line,
190x107 newtons per square meter (275 000 psi); speed, 10 000 rpm; temperature,
350 K (170' F); lubricant, super-refined naphthenic mineral oil.

number of gear sets tested) was 9 of 9. These data were analyzed by the methods of ref-
erence 10 and are summarized in table W. The data were also reanalyzed by consider-
ing each gear as an individual specimen. These data a r e shown in figure 8(a) and a r e
also summarized in table VI.
A typical fatigue spall for the AISI M-50 gears is shown in figure 9. Metallurgical
examination of all failures indicated that the fatigue spalls were of subsurface origin and
were initiated at the pitch circle. A cross section of a failed gear tooth is shown in the
photomicrograph of figure 10. The subsurface -initiated spall is characterized by a plu-
rality of subsurface cracks emanating below the surface and propagating into a crack net-
work. Eventually these develop into a typical fatigue spall or pit. An unfailed gear tooth
run to 91 and 73 hours, respectively, on the two tracks is shown in figure 11.

13
 TABLE VI. - FATIGUE LIFE RESULTS FOR CVM AISI M-50 STEEL AND
CVM SUPER NTTRALLOY (5Ni-2Al) SPUR GEARS
7 2
[Maximum Hertz stress at pitch line, 190x10 N/m (275 000 psi); speed 10 000 rpm; temperature,
350 K (170' F); lubricant, super-refined naphthenic mineral oil.]

Material Failure Pitting fatigue life Weibull Confidence number (10-percent

index slope life relative to Super Nitralloy),
hr Number of percent
(a)
revolutions
cb)
Bio IB50 B1O I B50

M-50 9 of 9 46.4 85.8 27.8X106 5O.8X1O6 3.1 70

Super Nitralloy 9 of 9 31.6 73.8 1 8 . 9 ~ 1 044.2X1O6
~ 2.2 --

M-50 9of 18 57.8 105.8 34.6X106 63.4X106 3.1 65

Super Nitralloy 9 of 18 43.0 100.7 2 5 . 8 ~ 1 06O.3x1O6
~ 2.2 --
%umber of failures out of number of specimens tested.
bNumber of times out of 100 that additional tests will be ranked as shown.

95 -
90 - F F

Ill
2
2
' 1
4
1 ' 1

' 6 ' dx107 1 iGear' life, revolutions

I

6 l!X107 1 ' I
I I
1dIO7

(a) AISI M-50 steel. (b) Super Nitralloy (5Ni-2AI). (c) Comparison of results.
Figure 8. - Pitting fatigue lives of spur gears made of CVM AISI M-50 steel and of
CVM Super Nitralloy (5Ni-241). Maximum Hertz stress at pitch line, 190x107
newtons per square meter (275 000 psi); speed, 10 000 rpm; temperature, 350 K
(170' F); lubricant, super-refined naphthenic mineral oil.

14
 Contact

Figure 9. - Typical pitch-line fatigue spall of AIS1 M-50 steel gear. Maximum Hertz stress at pitch
line, 1 9 0 ~ 1 0newtons
~ per square neter 1275 000 psi); speed, 10 000 rpm; temperature, 3% K
(170' F); lubricant, super-refined naphthenic mineral oil.

Figure 10. - Photomicrograph of pitch-line fatigue spall on AIS1 M-50 steel gear tooth. Maximum
Hertz stress at pitch line, 1 9 0 ~ 1 0newtons
~ per square meter 1275 000 psi); speed, 10 M)O rpm;
temperature, 350 K (170' F); lubricant, super-refined naphthenic mineral oil.

15
 Addendum

- Pitch
line
-

Dedendum

v -
91 hr 73 hr

Figure 11. -Typical unfailed gear tooth, with contact s u r -

faces that had completed 91 hours and 73 hours. Max-
imum Hertz stress at pitch line, 190x107 newtons per
square meter 1275 000 psi); speed, 10 OOO rpm; temp-
erature, 350 K (170' F); lubricant, super-refined
naphthenic mineral oil.

In order to study the wear of the gears, surface traces in the axial direction across
the face of the AISI M-50 gear teeth were made at the addendum, the pitch line, and the
dedendum. Typical results from these data a r e summarized in table VII. There was ap-
proximately 13 micrometers (500 pin. ) average wear across the tooth face. It is thought
that this amount of wear is due to "run in" and is not progressive in nature. The wear at
the pitch line, where rolling occurs, was somewhat less, as would be expected. How-
ever, no systematic measurements of wear with time were made which would verify this
speculation.
The fatigue lives of the gear sets made from Super Nitralloy are shown in figure 7(b).
Pitting fatigue lives of individual gears a r e shown in figure 8(b). These data a r e sum-
marized in table VI. A s with the AISI M-50 material, the fatigue spalls were of subsur-
face origin. A typical fatigue spall with the Super Nitralloy gears is shown in figure 12.
A photomicrograph of a cross section of a spall is shown in figure 13. The unfailed Super
Nitralloy gear teeth are identical in appearance to the AISI M-50 gear teeth. These data
indicate that the M-50 gears have a life 50 percent greater than the Super Nitralloy gears
at a 90-percent probability of survival.

16
 TABLE VII. - WEAR OF AISI CVM M-50 STEEL AND CVM

SUPER NlTRALLOY (5Ni-2Al) GEAR MATERIAL

[Maximum Hertz stress at pitch line, 1 9 0 ~ 1 N/m2

0~ (275 000 psi);
speed, 10 000 rpm; temperature, 350 K (170' F); lubricant,
super-refined naphthenic mineral oil.]

Dedendum

CVM AISI M-50 steel 13.7 (547)

~

23.7 (947)

8.3 (333)

CVM Super Nitralloy 9.5 (380)

(5Ni-2Al)
3.5 (140)

I 118 I 6.0 (240) I 4.2 (167) 16.7 (667)

I ~~
140 I 5.3 (213)
~~
I 4.0 (160) 7.5 (300)
~~

k e a s u r e m e n t s were on different specimen for different til e period.

,
F - Case

Addendum

Pitch line-

Figure 12. -Typical pitch-line fatigue spall of Super Nitralloy (5Ni-2AI) gear. Maximum Hertz stress
at pitch line, 1 9 0 ~ 1 0newtons
~ per square meter 1275 000 psi); speed, 10 000 rpm; temperature,
350 K 1170' F); lubricant. super-refined naphthenic mineral oil.

17
 Figure 13. - Photomicrograph of pitch-line fatigue spall on Super Nitralloy (5Ni-2AI) gear tooth.
Maximum Hertz stress at pitch line, 1 9 0 ~ 1 0newtons
~ per square meter (275 000 psi): speed,
10 000 rpm; temperature, 350 K (170' F); lubricant, super-refined naphthenic mineral oil.

Wear measurements, summarized in table VII, indicated less wear for the Super
Nitralloy gear teeth than for the M-50 gears. In general, the average wear depth across
the tooth face of the Super Nitralloy gear teeth was approximately 8 micrometers
(300 pin. 1. This amount was less than with the M-50material. As with the M-50 gears,
there was no general relation between running time and wear. The measured wear was
apparently due to "run in, ? ( as with the M-50 material.
The confidence that can be placed in the experimental results was determined statis-
tically with the use of the methods given in reference 10. The Super Nitralloy gears were
compared with the M-50gears. Confidence numbers for the 90-percent probability of
survival, or 10 percent life, were calculated and are presented in table VI. The confi-
dence of 70 percent for M-50 relative to Super Nitralloy means that 70 out of 100 times
the 10-percent life of the Super Nitralloy gears will be less than that of the M-50 gears. ,
A 68-percent confidence is approximately equal to a one-sigma deviation, which, for sta-
tistical purposes, is considered to be insufficient to conclude that there is any difference
in the 10-percent life between materials. Hence, from these data, the fatigue-life dif-
ference between the M-50 and the Super Nitralloy steels can be considered to be statis-
tically insignificant at nominal temperatures.
Several spalled gears of both materials were deliberately run for several hours in
this condition. For the M-50gears, the spalled tooth would fracture, generally within a

18
2-hour period o r within 1 . 2 ~ 160 stress cycles. This was not totally unexpected, inas-
much as the M-50 material is very notch sensitive. The crack size necessary for cat-
astrophic crack growth is very small. Thus, when a fatigue spall (notch) forms, the
tooth becomes susceptible to fatigue fracture.
The Super Nitralloy, while having a hard surface, has a soft, ductile core. Since
the rate of crack growth is much lower in the ductile core, the material is notch insen-
sitive. Thus, when a fatigue spall (notch) forms, the tooth is not very susceptible to fa-
tigue fracture. This w a s verified in the tests reported herein, where none of the spalled
teeth that were deliberately overrun failed because of fracture.
These results verify the need for a soft core in critical applications where the prob-
ability of failure is high. However, the M-50 material, with a Rockwell C hardness of
62, had a longer life (although statistically insignificant) than the Super Nitralloy mate-
rial, which has a case Rockwell C hardness of 61.5. Based on the hardness character-
istics of the two materials, the M-50 material may have greater high-temperature pitting
fatigue life potential because of its higher hot hardness. The Super Nitralloy material is
probably usable to 588 K (600' F)if oxidation stability is discounted. This would imply
that the fabrication of gears from an M-50 type material with a soft core would be ben-
eficial to long gear life.

SUMMARY OF RESULTS

Two groups of 8.89-centimeter- (3.5-in. -) pitch-diameter spur gears with standard

20' involute tooth profile without tip relief , made from consumable-electrode vacuum -
melted (CVM) AISI M-50 steel and CVM Super Nitralloy (5Ni-2A1) were tested under con-
ditions that produced fatigue pitting. Test conditions included a speed of 10 000 rpm and
a maximum Hertz s t r e s s of 190x107 newtons per square meter (275 000 psi) at the gear
pitch line. The lubricant w a s a super-refined naphthenic mineral oil with an additive
package. The following results were obtained:
1. The AISI M-50 gears had lives approximately 50 percent longer than the Super
Nitralloy gears at a 90-percent probability of survival. However, the difference in life
was not considered statistically significant.
2. Both the AISI M-50 and the Super Nitralloy gears failed from classical pitting fa-
tigue at the pitch circle. That is, the gear teeth failed because of spalling which orig-
inated from subsurface initiated cracks. The spall was limited in area and depth of
penetration.
3. The AISI M-50 gear sets having a spalled gear tooth which were deliberately over-
run, failed within 2 hours after spalling had occurred because of tooth fracture fatigue.
Under the same conditions, the Super Nitralloy material did not fail.
4. Wear measurements across the gear teeth indicated that more wear occurred with
19
the AISI M-50 material than did with the Super Nitralloy. However, the difference in
wear was not considered significant.

Lewis Research Center,

National Aeronautics and Space Administration,
and
U. S. Army Air Mobility R & D Laboratory,
Cleveland, Ohio, January 8, 1973,
501-24.

REFERENCES

1. Seabrook, John B. ; and Dudley, Darle W. : Results of a Fifteen-Year Program of

Flexural Fatigue Testing of Gear Teeth. J. Eng. Ind., vol. 86, no. 3, Aug. 1964,
pp. 221-239.
2. Zaretsky, E. V, ; and Anderson, W. J. : Effect of Materials: General Background.
Interdisciplinary Approach to the Lubrication of Concentrated Contacts. P. M. Ku,
ed., NASA SP-237, 1970, pp. 379-408.
3. Lemanski, A. J. ; and Rose, H. J. : Evaluation of Advanced Gear Materials for Gear
Boxes and Transmissions. Rep. D210-10345-1, Boeing Co., Sept. 1971.
4. Beane, G. A., IV; and Lawler, C. W. : Load-Carrying Capacities of Gear Lubri-
cants of Different Chemical Classes Based on Results Obtained with WADD High-
Temperature Gear Machine Used with Induction-Heated Test Gears, Southwest
Research Inst. (AFAPL-TR-65-23, AD-620294), Apr. 1965.
5. Jackson, Earl G. ; Muench, Charles F. ; and Scott, Ernest H. : Evaluation of Gear
Materials Scoring at 700 F. ASLE Trans., vol. 3, no. 1, 1960, pp. 69-82.
6. Bamberger, Eric N. ; Zaretsky, Erwin V. ; and Anderson, William J. : Fatigue Life
of 120-mm Bore Ball Bearings at 600' F with Fluorocarbon, Polyphenyl Ether, and
Synthetic Paraffinic Base Lubricants. NASA TN D-4850, 1968.
7. Chevalier, James L. ; Dietrich, Marshall W. ; and Zaretsky, Erwin V. : Short-Term I

Hot Hardness Characteristics of Rolling-Element Steels. NASA TN D-6632, 1972.

8. Chevalier, James L. ; Dietrich, Marshall W. ; and Zaretsky, Erwin V. : Hot Hard-
ness Characteristics of Ausformed AISI M-50, Matrix 11, WD-65, Modified AISI
440-C, and Super Nitralloy. NASA TN D-7244, 1973.

20
 9. h w s o n , Duncan; and Higginson, G. R. : Elasto-Hydrodynamic Lubrication.
Pergamon Press, 1966.
10. Johnson, Leonard G . : The Statistical Treatment of Fatigue Experiments.
Elsevier Publ. Co. , 1964.

NASA-Langley, 1973 - 15 E-7164 21

 1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No.

, NASA TN 0-7261
4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date
PITTING FATIGUE CHARACTERISTICS OF AISI M-50 '
April 1973
AND SUPER NITRALLOY SPUR GEARS 6. Performing Organization Code

7. Author(s) 8. PerformingOrganization Report No.

Dennis P. Townsend, J a m e s L. Chevalier, and E -7 164
Erwin V. Zaretsky 10. Work Unit No.
9. PerformingOrganization Name and Address 501-24
NASA Lewis Research Center and 11. Contract or Grant No.
U. S. Army Air Mobility R & D Laboratory
Cleveland, Ohio 44135 13. Type of Report and Period Covered
12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address Technical Note
National Aeronautics and Space Administration 14. Sponsoring Agency Code
Washington, D. C . 20546

I 16. Abstract
Two groups of 8.89-centimeter- (3.50-in. -) pitch-diameter spur g e a r s , without tip relief,
made from consumable -electrode vacuum -melted (CVM)AISI M-50 steel and CVM Super
Nitralloy (5Ni -2A1) were tested under conditions which produced fatigue pitting. The M -50
g e a r s had fatigue lives approximately 50 percent longer than the Super Nitralloy g e a r s .
Both groups of g e a r s failed by classical rolling-element fatigue at the pitch circle. When
the g e a r s were overrun past initial spa11 formation, the spalled M-50 gear teeth failed by
fatigue fracture. The M-50 material had higher wear than the Super Nitralloy material.
Differences in fatigue life and wear were not considered statistically significant.

17. Key Words (Suggested by Author(s) ) 18. Distribution Statement

Spur g e a r ; Pitting fatigue; AISI M-50 steel Unclassified - unlimited
g e a r ; Super Nitralloy g e a r ; Surface endurance

19. Security Classif. (of this report) 20. Security Classif. (of this &gel 21. NO. of Pages 22. Price*
Unclassified Unclassified 22 $3.00
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