52100 is a chromium alloy steel grade designed specifically for bearings and characterized by high carbon content (0.93% to 1.05%) along with chromium (1.35-1.60%). The high carbon and chromium content provide the alloyed steel with high hardening properties, resulting in a hardness of 64-66 HRC. This steel is the most commonly used bearing steel worldwide and is applied in aerospace and motorsport industries wherever resistance to rolling contact fatigue is essential.
52100 Alloy Steel - AMS 6444
Typical Applications
Bearings
Fasteners
AMS 6440, AMS 6444 Suppliers & Stockholders
Dynamic Metals is a specialist supplier and stockholder of 52100 alloy steel, supplying aerospace and industrial bearing applications with certified material to AMS 6440 and AMS 6444 since 1997. No minimum order quantities
52100 is an extremely hard wearing chrome bearing steel complying with specifications AMS 6440 and AMS 6444; intended for usage in applications demanding maximum hardness and wear resistance. It has a unique composition – 0.93-1.05% carbon, 1.35-1.60% chromium – which gives it special features differentiating from those of structural alloy steels: extreme hardness levels and high wear and fatigue resistance.
Upon hardening and tempering 52100 reaches extreme hardness level of 64-66 HRC – much higher than that of structural steels such as 4340 or 4330. This property of extreme hardness is directly connected with high wear resistance and high load capacity, and that is why 52100 becomes the most common steel used for rolling element bearings in aerospace, racing and industrial applications. High content of carbon contributes to the creation of hard carbides in structure that provide additional wear resistance in conditions of rolling contact.
High hardness of the material results in low toughness and ductility in comparison with structural low carbon steels. 52100 is brittle steel prone to fractures during shock loading and requires special machining techniques in annealed condition – when tensile strength is 651 MPa and hardness 179 HBW – before reaching final properties by hardening. Machining is mostly done through grinding in the state of hardening.
Main applications of 52100 are all kinds of rolling element bearings – ball bearings, roller bearings, and tapered roller bearings – in aerospace engines, gearboxes, and industrial high-load machinery. Cams, bushings, and other components with high hardness and wear resistance requirement under rolling or sliding contact may also be made of 52100.
Related Products
Technical specification
Related Specifications
AMS 6440
AMS 6444
SA5589
AIR 9160C
Specific Gravity
7.81 g/cm3
Chemical Composition (WT %)
Min
Max
C
0.93
1.05
Mn
0.25
0.45
Si
0.15
0.35
P
-
0.015
S
-
0.015
Cr
1.35
1.60
Ni
-
0.25
Mo
-
0.1
Cu
-
0.3
AI
-
0.05
O
-
0.015
Typical Mechanical Properties
Round Bar
0.2% Yield Strength
MPA
427
Tensile Strength
MPA
651
Elongation
%
27
Reduction of area
%
62.5
Hardness
HBW
179
What are the typical uses for 52100 Alloy Steel?
Uses of 52100 include rolling element bearings such as ball bearings, cylindrical roller bearings, and tapered roller bearings for aerospace engines, gearboxes, and machinery. Additional uses include camshaft bearings, bushes, pump components, and any component that needs extreme hardness and wear resistance under rolling and sliding contacts. In aerospace, uses of 52100 include jet engine accessory drives, landing gear actuator systems, and flight control components.
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