? Best Way To Harden 1018

[lkwall45]

We have a large shipment of gear rack 1x1x144" that was mistakenly made from 1018 steel, about 7 Rc hardness. Our pinions are 4140 steel, about 29 Rc. Lead time is too long to wait for another shipment of rack made from a better steel. We need to get the rack hardness up around 15 - 20 Rc for it to last in our application.

I already looked into carborizing. The two heating and quenching cycles would probably cause warping and I would have to cut it down to 3ft max sticks, both unacceptable.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,
lkwall45

 

[israelkk]

To my base knowledge there is no satisfactory way to do this, due to the low carbon content it is not hardenable. More than that, machining of 1018 a like hell to machinists compared to 4140 4340 etc.

 

[diamondjim]

Why not have one carburized and see
how much distortion you do get. You
did not mention the dp. The distortion
may be acceptable. How deep do you
need the case depth? I think if you
gang carburized some these and threw
away the top and bottom of the bunch,
the inners may be ok. How much scrap
can you allow?

 

[nnjunger]

I have also made "holders" for similiar devices. You can make a stable base to attach the rack too by bolts. The entire assembly is hardened. I have done this in lengths through 8' before, and longer may be possible depending on job shops in your areas. The 1018 may cause you more problems than anything versus other materials, but if you are stuck with it, you are stuck with it.

 

[TVP]

I agree that carburizing is a viable option. Contact a good heat treater to discuss your requirements. Solar, Bodycote, Commercial Steel Treating, & Industrial Steel Treating are all good options in the US.

 

[TheTick]

large shipment of gear rack 1x1x144" that was mistakenly made from 1018 steel

morbid curiosity...
Where did this shipment come from?

"An object at rest can not be stopped."

http://www.EsoxRepublic.com