JP7712866B2 - Steel wire for machine structural parts and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a steel wire for machine structural parts and a manufacturing method thereof.

When manufacturing various mechanical structural parts such as parts for automobiles and parts for construction machinery, spheroidizing annealing is usually performed on bar steel, including hot-rolled wire rod, in order to impart cold workability. The steel wire obtained by spheroidizing annealing is then cold worked and then machined, such as by cutting, to form it into the desired part shape. It is then quenched and tempered for final strength adjustment, and the mechanical structural parts are manufactured.

In recent years, there has been a demand for softer steel wires than ever before in order to prevent cracking of steel materials and improve the life of dies during cold working processes.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for obtaining softened steel wire, which involves heating to the austenitizing temperature range two or more times during spheroidizing annealing as a method for producing medium carbon steel with excellent cold forgeability. The manufacturing method disclosed in Patent Document 1 shows that cold forging steel can be obtained with a hardness of 83 HRB or less after spheroidizing annealing and a spheroidal carbide ratio of 70% or more in the structure.

Patent Document 2 discloses a steel material having low deformation resistance after spheroidizing annealing and excellent cold forgeability, and a method for manufacturing the same. In the manufacturing method, a steel satisfying a predetermined chemical composition is subjected to hot working, cooled to room temperature, heated to a temperature range of A1 point to A1 point + 50°C, and after heating, held in the temperature range of A1 point to A1 point + 50°C for 0 to 1 hour, and then annealed at least twice in which the steel is cooled from the temperature range of A1 point to A1 point + 50°C to a temperature range of A1 point - 100°C to A1 point - 30°C at an average cooling rate of 10 to 200°C/hr. The steel is then heated to a temperature range of A1 point to A1 point + 30°C and held in the temperature range of A1 point to A1 point + 30°C before being cooled. When the steel is cooled after reaching the A1 point during heating and then held in the temperature range of A1 point to A1 point + 30°C, the residence time in the temperature range of A1 point to A1 point + 30°C until the steel reaches the A1 point is 10 minutes. It is shown that the cooling time is 2 hours, and the temperature range from point A1 to point A1 + 30°C is cooled to point A1 - 100°C to point A1 - 20°C at an average cooling rate of 10 to 100°C/hr, and then the material is held in this cooling temperature range for 10 minutes to 5 hours before being further cooled.

Patent Document 3 discloses a steel wire for mechanical structural parts that has a specified chemical composition, a metal structure of the steel composed of ferrite and cementite, and the proportion of cementite present at the ferrite grain boundaries to the total number of cementite particles is 40% or more, as a steel wire for mechanical structural parts that reduces deformation resistance during cold working, improves crack resistance, and exhibits excellent cold workability. Patent Document 3 describes the manufacturing conditions for the rolled wire rod to be subjected to spheroidizing annealing as follows: finish rolling at 800°C or higher and 1050°C or lower; first cooling with an average cooling rate of 7°C/sec or higher; second cooling with an average cooling rate of 1°C/sec or higher and 5°C/sec or lower; and third cooling with an average cooling rate faster than the second cooling rate and 5°C/sec or higher, in that order; the end of the first cooling and the start of the second cooling are preferably performed within a range of 700 to 750°C; the end of the second cooling and the start of the third cooling are preferably performed within a range of 600 to 650°C; and the end of the third cooling is preferably 400°C or lower.

JP 2011-256456 A JP 2012-140674 A JP 2016-194100 A

However, the conventional techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3 could not sufficiently reduce the hardness after spheroidizing annealing, resulting in poor workability in the cold working performed after spheroidizing annealing, or the hardness could not be sufficiently increased in the quenching treatment performed after cold working, i.e., poor hardenability. In other words, there was no conventional technique that focused on improving both cold workability and hardenability.

The present invention was made in consideration of these circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a steel wire for machine structural parts that has a sufficiently low hardness and excellent cold workability, and that can be hardened to a high hardness by quenching, i.e., has excellent hardenability, and a manufacturing method for the steel wire for machine structural parts that can manufacture the steel wire for machine structural parts in a relatively short time.

In this specification, "wire rod" and "steel bar" refer to linear and rod-shaped steel material obtained by hot rolling, respectively, that has not been subjected to heat treatment such as spheroidizing annealing, or wire drawing. "Steel wire" refers to wire rod or steel bar that has been subjected to at least one of heat treatment such as spheroidizing annealing and wire drawing. In this specification, the above-mentioned wire rod, steel bar, and steel wire are collectively referred to as "bar steel."

Aspect 1 of the present invention is
C: 0.05% by mass to 0.60% by mass,
Si: 0.005% by mass to 0.50% by mass,
Mn: 0.30% by mass to 1.20% by mass,
P: more than 0 mass%, 0.050 mass% or less,
S: more than 0 mass%, 0.050 mass% or less,
Al: 0.001% by mass to 0.10% by mass,
Cr: more than 0 mass% and 1.5 mass% or less; N: more than 0 mass% and 0.02 mass% or less; the balance being iron and unavoidable impurities;
When the total content (mass%) of Cr and Mn in cementite in the metal structure is represented as {Cr+Mn}, the total content (mass%) of Cr and Mn in the steel is represented as [Cr+Mn], and the amount of C (mass%) in the steel is represented as [C], the concentration ratio {Cr+Mn}/[Cr+Mn] is (0.5[C]+0.040) or more, and further
The steel wire for machine structural parts has an average equivalent circle diameter of all cementite, which is (1.668-2.13 [C]) μm or more and (1.863-2.13 [C]) μm or less, when the amount of C (mass%) in the steel is expressed as [C].

Aspect 2 of the present invention is
Furthermore,
Cu: more than 0 mass%, 0.25 mass% or less,
Ni: more than 0 mass%, 0.25 mass% or less,
The steel wire for machine structural components according to aspect 1, comprising one or more selected from the group consisting of Mo: more than 0 mass % and 0.50 mass % or less, and B: more than 0 mass % and 0.01 mass % or less.

Aspect 3 of the present invention is
Furthermore,
Ti: more than 0 mass%, 0.2 mass% or less,
The steel wire for machine structural components according to aspect 1 or 2, comprising one or more selected from the group consisting of Nb: more than 0 mass% and 0.2 mass% or less, and V: more than 0 mass% and 0.5 mass% or less.

Aspect 4 of the present invention is
Furthermore,
Mg: more than 0 mass%, 0.02 mass% or less,
Ca: more than 0 mass%, 0.05 mass% or less,
The steel wire for machine structural components according to any one of Aspects 1 to 3, comprising one or more selected from the group consisting of Li: more than 0 mass% and 0.02 mass% or less, and REM: more than 0 mass% and 0.05 mass% or less.

Aspect 5 of the present invention is a steel wire for machine structural parts according to any one of aspects 1 to 4, in which the average ferrite grain size is 30 μm or less.

Aspect 6 of the present invention is
A bar steel satisfying the chemical composition according to any one of aspects 1 to 4,
The method for producing a steel wire for machine structural components according to any one of Aspects 1 to 5, further comprising a step of performing spheroidizing annealing including the following steps (1) to (3):
(1) After heating to a temperature T1 of (A1+8°C) to (A1+31°C), the material is heated and held at the temperature T1 for more than 1 hour and not more than 6 hours;
(2) Cooling to a temperature T2 of more than 650° C. and not more than (A1−17° C.), and then heating to a temperature T3 of (A1+8° C.) to (A1+31° C.) at an average heating rate of 75° C./hour to 160° C./hour, performing the cooling-heating step 2 to 6 times in total;
(3) Cooling is performed from temperature T3 in the final cooling-heating step.
Here, A1 is calculated by the following formula (1).
A1 (℃) = 723 + 29.1 x [Si] - 10.7 x [Mn] + 16.9 x [Cr] - 16.9 x [Ni]... (1)
Here, [element] represents the content (mass%) of each element, and the content of elements that are not included is zero.

Aspect 7 of the present invention is
A method for producing a steel wire for a machine structural component according to aspect 6, wherein the section steel is a steel wire obtained by subjecting a wire rod to wire drawing at an area reduction rate of more than 5%.

The present invention provides a steel wire for machine structural parts that has excellent cold workability and hardenability, and a method for manufacturing the steel wire for machine structural parts.

1 is a diagram for explaining the conditions of spheroidizing annealing in the manufacturing method of a steel wire for machine structural components according to the present embodiment. 1 is a diagram illustrating a heat treatment process of a comparative example. 1 is a diagram illustrating a heat treatment process in the prior art. 1 is a diagram illustrating a heat treatment process in another prior art. 1 is a diagram illustrating a heat treatment process in another prior art.

The inventors of the present invention have conducted extensive research to realize a steel wire for machine structural parts that has excellent cold workability and hardenability, and as a result have found that it is sufficient to set the total content of Mn and Cr in cementite to a certain ratio or more relative to the total content of Mn and Cr in the steel, and to set the average size of all cementite within a certain range according to the amount of C in the steel. Furthermore, they have found that in order to realize the above metal structure, it is effective to set the chemical composition of the metal structure within a certain range, and to perform spheroidizing annealing under specified conditions in the manufacturing method of the steel wire for machine structural parts. Hereinafter, the steel wire for machine structural parts according to this embodiment will be described starting from the metal structure of the steel wire for machine structural parts.

1. Metal structure Conventionally, cold workability has been ensured by subjecting steel material to spheroidizing annealing to form a metal structure composed of ferrite and cementite, but in order to provide both excellent cold workability and hardenability, the above-mentioned metal structure alone cannot be used. For this reason, the present inventors have conducted intensive studies from various angles in order to realize a steel wire for machine structural parts that has both excellent cold workability and excellent hardenability. First, the present inventors focused on the Mn and Cr amounts in the cementite. For example, by performing spheroidizing annealing under the manufacturing conditions described below, the average size of all cementite is set to a certain level or more, and the Mn and Cr amounts in the cementite are increased, so that the Mn and Cr amounts in the ferrite can be relatively reduced, and it has been found that hardening due to solid solution strengthening can be suppressed, low hardness can be achieved, and cold workability can be improved. In addition, it has been found that by suppressing the average size of all cementite to a certain level or less, it is possible to suppress the indissolution of cementite during high temperature holding in the quenching process, and hardenability can be improved. So far, there has been no research that has focused on both the Mn and Cr contents in cementite and the average size of the entire cementite.

[When the total content (mass%) of Cr and Mn in cementite is {Cr+Mn}, the total content (mass%) of Cr and Mn in steel is [Cr+Mn], and the amount of C (mass%) in steel is [C], the concentration ratio {Cr+Mn}/[Cr+Mn] is (0.5[C]+0.040) or more]
Cr and Mn are typical elements that are easily dissolved in cementite. However, some of them are dissolved in ferrite, and the more the amount of solid solution is, the more the ferrite matrix is strengthened and the harder it is. Therefore, the larger the ratio of the total content of Cr and Mn in cementite {Cr+Mn} to the total content of Cr and Mn in steel [Cr+Mn], that is, the concentration ratio {Cr+Mn}/[Cr+Mn], the smaller the total content of Cr and Mn in ferrite occupying the phase other than cementite can be, and as a result, the amount of solid solution strengthening of ferrite by Cr and Mn is reduced, and accordingly, the hardness is reduced and the cold workability is improved. The lower limit of the concentration ratio {Cr+Mn}/[Cr+Mn] is set to (0.5[C]+0.040) or more, where the amount of C (mass%) in steel is [C]. The concentration ratio {Cr+Mn}/[Cr+Mn] is preferably equal to or greater than (0.5[C]+0.042). On the other hand, taking into consideration possible manufacturing conditions, the upper limit of the concentration ratio {Cr+Mn}/[Cr+Mn] is approximately 0.5[C]+0.500.

The form of the cementite is not particularly limited, and includes spherical cementite as well as rod-shaped cementite with a large aspect ratio. The aspect ratio is the ratio (long diameter/short diameter) between the longest diameter of the cementite particle, which is the longest length, and the shortest diameter, which is the longest length in the direction perpendicular to the long diameter. The size of the cementite to be measured is not limited, but as shown in the examples described later, the size of the cementite that allows the total content of Cr and Mn to be measured is the minimum size. Specifically, when the electrolytic extraction residue is measured using the method shown in the examples described later, the cementite remaining on a filter with a pore size of 0.10 μm is the measurement target. The total content of Cr and Mn in the steel is the sum of the average Cr content and the average Mn content in the steel, as shown in the examples described later. For example, when the metal structure is formed of ferrite and cementite, it refers to the total content of Cr and Mn in the ferrite and cementite in mass%.

[The average equivalent circle diameter of all cementite is (1.668-2.13[C]) μm or more and (1.863-2.13[C]) μm or less, when the amount of C (mass%) in the steel is expressed as [C]]
When the amount of cementite in steel is constant, the larger the size of the cementite, the smaller the number density of the cementite, and the longer the distance between the cementite. The longer the distance between the cementite in steel, the more difficult it becomes to perform precipitation strengthening, and as a result, the hardness can be reduced. In addition, by making the size of the cementite constant or more, the hardness reduction effect by increasing the total content of Cr and Mn in the cementite can be easily achieved. From these viewpoints, in the present invention, the average equivalent circle diameter of all cementite is set to be (1.668-2.13 [C]) μm or more when the amount of C (mass%) in the steel is expressed as [C]. The average equivalent circle diameter of all cementite is preferably (1.669-2.13 [C]) μm or more. On the other hand, if the cementite becomes too coarse, the cementite does not dissolve sufficiently when held at a high temperature in the quenching treatment step after cold working, and a sufficiently high hardness cannot be obtained by quenching. Therefore, in the present invention, the average equivalent circle diameter of all cementite is set to be (1.863-2.13 [C]) μm or less, and preferably to be (1.858-2.13 [C]) μm or less.

Patent Document 3 shows that cementite present at ferrite grain boundaries is subjected to a smaller amount of strain during cold working than cementite present within ferrite grains, thereby reducing deformation resistance. However, Patent Document 3 does not control the average size of all cementite, and as a result, cementite cannot be sufficiently dissolved during the high temperature holding period of the quenching process, resulting in poor hardenability. The present invention is a technology that focuses on both the ratio of the total content of Cr and Mn in cementite and the average size of all cementite, in order to realize a steel wire for machine structural parts that combines excellent cold workability and excellent hardenability.

The metal structure of the steel wire for machine structural components according to this embodiment is a spheroidized structure having spheroidized cementite, and can be obtained by subjecting bar steel that satisfies the chemical composition described below to, for example, spheroidizing annealing, which will be described later.

The metal structure of the steel wire for machine structural parts of the present invention is substantially composed of ferrite and cementite. The above "substantially" means that the area ratio of ferrite in the metal structure of the steel wire for machine structural parts of the present invention is 90% or more, and the area ratio of rod-shaped cementite with an aspect ratio of 3 or more is 5% or less, and nitrides such as AlN and inclusions other than nitrides are acceptable at an area ratio of less than 3% as long as the adverse effect on cold workability is small. The area ratio of the ferrite may even be 95% or more.

In this specification, "ferrite" refers to a portion whose crystal structure is a bcc structure, and includes ferrite in pearlite, which is a lamellar structure of ferrite and cementite.
In addition, the "ferrite grains" to be measured for the "ferrite grain size" include grains containing rod-shaped cementite that is insufficiently spheroidized and is generated during spheroidizing annealing, but do not include grains containing rod-shaped cementite that may remain before spheroidizing annealing (pearlite grains). Specifically, after etching with nital (nitric acid 2% by volume, ethanol 98% by volume), the grains are "grains in which cementite does not exist within the grains" and "grains in which cementite exists within the grains and the shape of cementite can be observed (i.e., the boundary between cementite and ferrite can be clearly observed)" that can be confirmed when observed at 1000 times using an optical microscope. The above-mentioned grains in which the shape of cementite cannot be observed at 1000 times using the optical microscope (i.e., the boundary between cementite and ferrite cannot be clearly observed) are not subject to judgment in this embodiment and are not included in the "ferrite grains".

[Average ferrite grain size: 30 μm or less]
In the steel wire for mechanical structural components according to this embodiment, the average ferrite grain size in the metal structure is preferably 30 μm or less. If the average ferrite grain size is 30 μm or less, the ductility of the steel wire for mechanical structural components can be improved, and the occurrence of cracks during cold working can be further suppressed. The average ferrite grain size is more preferably 25 μm or less, and even more preferably 20 μm or less. The smaller the average ferrite grain size, the better, but taking into account possible manufacturing conditions, etc., the lower limit can be approximately 2 μm.

(characteristic)
The steel wire for machine structural parts according to the present embodiment, which satisfies the chemical composition below and has the above-mentioned metal structure, can achieve both a low hardness that allows good cold working and a high hardness after quenching. In the present embodiment, when the C amount (mass%), Cr amount (mass%), and Mo amount (mass%) in the steel are expressed as [C], [Cr], and [Mo], respectively (elements that are not included are regarded as zero mass%), the hardness, and in the examples described below, the hardness after spheroidizing annealing, satisfies the following formula (2) and the hardness after quenching satisfies the following formula (3), it was determined that the hardness is sufficiently low, the cold workability is excellent, and a high hardness is achieved after quenching, i.e., the hardness is excellent.
Hardness (HV) (after spheroidizing annealing) < 91 ([C] + [Cr] / 9 + [Mo] / 2) + 91 ... (2)
Hardness after quenching (HV)>380ln([C])+1010 ... (3)

2. Chemical Composition The chemical composition of the steel wire for machine structural components according to this embodiment will be described.

[C: 0.05% by mass to 0.60% by mass]
C is an element that governs the strength of steel material, and the higher the content, the higher the strength after quenching and tempering. In order to effectively exert the above effect, the lower limit of the C content is set to 0.05 mass%. The C content is preferably 0.10 mass% or more, more preferably 0.15 mass% or more, and even more preferably 0.20 mass% or more. However, if the C content is excessive, the number of spheroidal cementite in the structure after spheroidizing annealing becomes excessive, and the hardness increases, resulting in a decrease in cold workability. Therefore, the upper limit of the C content is set to 0.60 mass%. The C content is preferably 0.55 mass% or less, more preferably 0.50 mass% or less.

[Si: 0.005% by mass to 0.50% by mass]
Si is used as a deoxidizer during melting and contributes to improving strength. In order to effectively exert this effect, the lower limit of the Si content is set to 0.005 mass%. The Si content is preferably 0.010 mass% or more, more preferably 0.050 mass% or more. However, Si contributes to solid solution strengthening of ferrite and has the effect of significantly increasing the strength after spheroidizing annealing. If the Si content is excessive, the cold workability deteriorates due to the above effect, so the upper limit of the Si content is set to 0.50 mass%. The Si content is preferably 0.40 mass% or less, more preferably 0.35 mass% or less.

[Mn: 0.30% by mass to 1.20% by mass]
Mn is an element that effectively acts as a deoxidizer and contributes to improving hardenability. In order to fully exert this effect, the lower limit of the Mn content is set to 0.30 mass%. The Mn content is preferably 0.35 mass% or more, and more preferably 0.40 mass% or more. However, if the Mn content is excessive, segregation is likely to occur and toughness is reduced. Therefore, the upper limit of the Mn content is set to 1.20 mass%. The Mn content is preferably 1.10 mass% or less, and more preferably 1.00 mass% or less.

[P: more than 0 mass%, 0.050 mass% or less]
P (phosphorus) is an inevitable impurity and a harmful element that causes grain boundary segregation in steel and adversely affects forgeability and toughness. Therefore, the P content is set to 0.050 mass% or less. The P content is preferably 0.030 mass% or less, and more preferably 0.020 mass% or less. The lower the P content, the better, but it is usually 0.001 mass% or more.

[S: more than 0 mass%, 0.050 mass% or less]
S (sulfur) is an inevitable impurity, and forms MnS in steel, which deteriorates ductility, and is therefore a harmful element for cold workability. Therefore, the S content is set to 0.050 mass% or less. The S content is preferably 0.030 mass% or less, and more preferably 0.020 mass% or less. The lower the S content, the better, but it is usually 0.001 mass% or more.

[Al: 0.001% by mass to 0.10% by mass]
Al is an element contained as a deoxidizer, and has the effect of reducing impurities with deoxidization. In order to exert this effect, the lower limit of the Al content is set to 0.001 mass%. The Al content is preferably 0.005 mass% or more, and more preferably 0.010 mass% or more. However, if the Al content is excessive, nonmetallic inclusions increase and toughness decreases. Therefore, the upper limit of the Al content is set to 0.10 mass%. The Al content is preferably 0.08 mass% or less, and more preferably 0.05 mass% or less.

[Cr: more than 0 mass%, 1.5 mass% or less]
Cr is an element that has the effect of improving the hardenability of steel and increasing its strength, and also has the effect of promoting the spheroidization of cementite. Specifically, Cr dissolves in cementite and delays the dissolution of cementite during heating for spheroidizing annealing. When cementite does not dissolve during heating and remains partially, rod-shaped cementite with a large aspect ratio is less likely to be generated during cooling, making it easier to obtain a spheroidized structure. Therefore, the Cr amount is preferably more than 0 mass% and more than 0.01 mass%. It may further be 0.05 mass% or more, and may further be 0.10 mass% or more. From the viewpoint of further promoting the spheroidization of cementite, it may further be more than 0.30 mass% and may further be more than 0.50 mass%. If the Cr amount is excessive, the diffusion of elements containing carbon is delayed, and the dissolution of cementite is delayed more than necessary, making it difficult to obtain a spheroidized structure. As a result, the effect of reducing hardness according to the present invention may be reduced. Therefore, the Cr content is 1.50 mass% or less, preferably 1.40 mass% or less, and more preferably 1.25 mass% or less. From the viewpoint of accelerating the diffusion of the element, the Cr content can be further set to 1.00 mass% or less, further 0.80 mass% or less, and further 0.30 mass% or less.

[N: more than 0 mass%, 0.02 mass% or less],
N is an impurity that is inevitably contained in steel, but if the steel contains a large amount of solute N, it causes an increase in hardness and a decrease in ductility due to strain aging, and deteriorates cold workability. Therefore, the N content is 0.02 mass% or less, preferably 0.015 mass% or less, and more preferably 0.010 mass% or less.

[Remainder]
The balance is iron and inevitable impurities. As inevitable impurities, the inclusion of trace elements (e.g., As, Sb, Sn, etc.) brought in due to the conditions of raw materials, materials, manufacturing facilities, etc. is permitted. Note that, for example, like P and S, the lower the content, the better, and therefore they are inevitable impurities, but there are elements whose composition ranges are separately specified as above. For this reason, in this specification, when referring to "unavoidable impurities" constituting the balance, it is a concept excluding elements whose composition ranges are separately specified.

The steel wire for machine structural components according to this embodiment may contain the above elements in its chemical composition. The optional elements described below do not have to be included, but by including them as necessary together with the above elements, it is easier to ensure hardenability and the like. The optional elements are described below.

[One or more selected from the group consisting of Cu: more than 0 mass% and 0.25 mass% or less, Ni: more than 0 mass% and 0.25 mass% or less, Mo: more than 0 mass% and 0.50 mass% or less, and B: more than 0 mass% and 0.01 mass% or less]
Cu, Ni, Mo, and B are all elements effective in increasing the strength of the final product by improving the hardenability of the steel material, and may be contained alone or in combination as necessary. The effects of these elements increase as their contents increase. The preferred lower limits for effectively exerting the above effects are more than 0 mass% for each of Cu, Ni, and Mo, more preferably 0.02 mass% or more, and even more preferably 0.05 mass% or more, and more preferably 0.0003 mass% or more, and even more preferably 0.0005 mass% or more for B.

On the other hand, if the contents of these elements are excessive, the strength becomes too high and the cold workability may deteriorate, so the preferred upper limits of each are set as above. More preferably, the contents of Cu and Ni are each 0.22 mass% or less, and even more preferably 0.20 mass% or less, the content of Mo is more preferably 0.40 mass% or less, and even more preferably 0.35 mass% or less, and the content of B is more preferably 0.007 mass% or less, and even more preferably 0.005 mass% or less.

[One or more selected from the group consisting of Ti: more than 0 mass% and 0.2 mass% or less, Nb: more than 0 mass% and 0.2 mass% or less, and V: more than 0 mass% and 0.5 mass% or less]
Ti, Nb and V form compounds with N and reduce the amount of solute N, thereby exerting the effect of reducing deformation resistance, so they can be contained alone or in combination as necessary. The effect of these elements increases as their contents increase. For each element, the preferred lower limit for effectively exerting the above effect is more than 0 mass%, more preferably 0.03 mass% or more, and even more preferably 0.05 mass% or more. However, if the contents of these elements are excessive, the compounds formed will lead to an increase in deformation resistance, and the cold workability may be reduced, so it is preferable that the contents of Ti and Nb are each 0.2 mass% or less, and the content of V is 0.5 mass% or less. The contents of Ti and Nb are each more preferably 0.18 mass% or less, more preferably 0.15 mass% or less, and the V content is more preferably 0.45 mass% or less, and even more preferably 0.40 mass% or less.

[One or more selected from the group consisting of Mg: more than 0 mass% and 0.02 mass% or less, Ca: more than 0 mass% and 0.05 mass% or less, Li: more than 0 mass% and 0.02 mass% or less, and rare earth elements (Rare Earth Metals: REM): more than 0 mass% and 0.05 mass% or less]
Mg, Ca, Li and REM are elements effective in spheroidizing sulfide compound inclusions such as MnS and improving the deformability of steel. Such effects increase as their contents increase. To effectively exert the above effects, the contents of Mg, Ca, Li and REM are preferably more than 0 mass%, more preferably 0.0001 mass% or more, and even more preferably 0.0005 mass% or more. However, even if they are contained in excess, the effect is saturated and an effect commensurate with the content cannot be expected, so the contents of Mg and Li are preferably 0.02 mass% or less, more preferably 0.018 mass% or less, and even more preferably 0.015 mass% or less, and the contents of Ca and REM are preferably 0.05 mass% or less, more preferably 0.045 mass% or less, and even more preferably 0.040 mass% or less, respectively. In addition, Mg, Ca, Li and REM may be contained alone or in combination of two or more kinds, and when two or more kinds are contained, the content may be any content within the above range. The REM includes lanthanoid elements (15 elements from La to Lu), Sc (scandium) and Y (yttrium).

The shape of the steel wire for machine structural components according to this embodiment is not particularly limited. For example, the diameter may be 5.5 mm to 60 mm.

3. Manufacturing method In order to obtain the metal structure of the steel wire for machine structural parts according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is preferable to appropriately control the spheroidizing annealing conditions as described below when manufacturing the steel wire for machine structural parts. There is no particular limitation on the hot rolling process for manufacturing the wire rod or steel bar to be subjected to spheroidizing annealing, and it is sufficient to follow a standard method. As described later, wire drawing may be performed before spheroidizing annealing. There is no particular limitation on the diameter of the wire rod, steel wire, and steel bar, which are the bar steel to be subjected to spheroidizing annealing, and in the case of wire rod and steel wire, it is, for example, 5.5 mm to 55 mm, and in the case of steel bar, it is, for example, 18 mm to 105 mm.

The spheroidizing annealing conditions in the manufacturing method of steel wire for machine structural components according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figure 1. Figure 1 shows an example of a diagram explaining the spheroidizing annealing conditions in the manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the number of repetitions of the cooling-heating process, etc. are not limited to those shown in Figure 1.

The manufacturing method of a steel wire for machine structural components according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a spheroidizing annealing process including the following steps (1) to (3).
(1) After heating to a temperature T1 of (A1+8°C) to (A1+31°C), the material is heated and held at the temperature T1 for more than 1 hour and not more than 6 hours;
(2) cooling to a temperature T2 of more than 650° C. and not more than (A1−17° C.), and then heating to a temperature T3 of (A1+8° C.) to (A1+31° C.) at an average heating rate of 75° C./hour to 160° C./hour, performing the cooling-heating step 2 to 6 times in total;
(3) Cooling is performed from temperature T3 in the final cooling-heating step.
Here, A1 is calculated by the following formula (1).
A1 (℃) = 723 + 29.1 x [Si] - 10.7 x [Mn] + 16.9 x [Cr] - 16.9 x [Ni]... (1)
Here, [element] represents the content (mass%) of each element, and the content of elements that are not included is zero.

[(1) After heating to a temperature T1 of (A1+8°C) to (A1+31°C), the material is kept heated at the temperature T1 for more than 1 hour and not more than 6 hours ([2] in FIG. 1)]
By heating to a temperature T1 of (A1+8°C) to (A1+31°C), the dissolution of rod-shaped cementite having a large aspect ratio generated in the rolling stage is promoted. If the temperature T1 is too low, the rod-shaped cementite is not dissolved during heating and remains in the ferrite grains, and the hardness increases. In order to obtain a steel wire that is sufficiently softened, the temperature T1 needs to be (A1+8°C) or higher. The temperature T1 is preferably (A1+15°C) or higher, and more preferably (A1+20°C) or higher. On the other hand, if the temperature T1 is too high, the crystal grains become too coarse, making it difficult for spheroidal cementite to precipitate at the ferrite grain boundaries during the cooling process in the next step, and the rod-shaped cementite increases, resulting in an increase in hardness. Therefore, the temperature T1 is set to (A1+31°C) or lower. The temperature T1 is preferably (A1+30°C) or lower, and more preferably (A1+29°C) or lower.

If the heating holding time (t1) at temperature T1 is too short, rod-shaped cementite remains in the ferrite grains, increasing hardness. To obtain a sufficiently softened steel wire, the heating holding time (t1) must be more than 1 hour and not more than 6 hours. A preferable heating holding time (t1) is 1.5 hours or more, and more preferably 2.0 hours or more. If the heating holding time (t1) is too long, the heat treatment time becomes long and productivity decreases. Therefore, the heating holding time (t1) is 6 hours or less, preferably 5 hours or less, and more preferably 4 hours or less. Note that the average heating rate during heating to temperature T1 (A1+8°C) to (A1+31°C) ([1] in Figure 1) does not affect the steel material properties, so the heating may be performed at any rate. For example, the heating may be performed at a rate of 30°C/hour to 100°C/hour.

The temperature at point A1 is calculated by the following formula (1) described on page 273 of Leslie Steel Materials Science (Maruzen).
A1 (℃) = 723 + 29.1 x [Si] - 10.7 x [Mn] + 16.9 x [Cr] - 16.9 x [Ni]... (1)
Here, [element] represents the content (mass%) of each element, and the content of elements that are not included is zero.

[(2) Cool to a temperature T2 above 650°C and below (A1 - 17°C), then heat to a temperature T3 of (A1 + 8°C) to (A1 + 31°C) at an average heating rate of 75°C/hour to 160°C/hour, performing the cooling-heating process 2 to 6 times in total ([3] to [7] in Figure 1)]

(2-i) Cooling to a temperature T2 above 650 ° C. and below (A1-17 ° C.) ([3] in FIG. 1)
After the heating and holding in the above (1), in order to promote the precipitation of cementite with high concentrations of Mn and Cr, the steel is cooled to a temperature T2 exceeding 650°C and not exceeding (A1-17°C). If the temperature T2 is too low, the annealing time is lengthened. Also, if the temperature T2 is too low, the cementite becomes too fine, and cementite with low Cr and Mn contents is likely to be generated. Therefore, the cooling temperature T2 must be greater than 650°C. According to the manufacturing method according to this embodiment, even if the cooling temperature T2 exceeds 650°C, the desired cementite can be obtained without performing annealing for a long time. The temperature T2 is preferably 670°C or higher. On the other hand, if the temperature T2 is too high, cementite does not precipitate sufficiently, and as a result, Cr and Mn are not sufficiently concentrated in the cementite, the total content of Cr and Mn in the cementite is small, the hardness increases, and the cold workability decreases. Therefore, the upper limit of the temperature T2 is set to A1-17°C. The temperature T2 is preferably A1-18°C or lower. Furthermore, if the temperature T2 is reached and then held, the heat treatment time will be lengthened. From these viewpoints, it is therefore better not to hold the temperature. However, in order to equalize the temperature variation within the furnace, it is acceptable to hold the temperature for a short period of time. The holding time (t2) at the cooling temperature T2 is preferably within one hour.

The average cooling rate during cooling in the cooling-heating process ([3] in FIG. 1) is not particularly limited. From the viewpoint of further promoting the penetration of Mn and Cr in the parent phase into the cementite, it is preferable to set the average cooling rate during cooling from temperature T1 or temperature T3 to temperature T2 to 100°C/hour or less. Also, from the viewpoint of further suppressing excessive coarsening of the cementite generated in step (2), further improving hardenability, and further improving productivity, it is preferable to set the average cooling rate to 5°C/hour or more.

(2-ii) Heat to a temperature T3 of (A1+8°C) to (A1+31°C) at an average heating rate of 75°C/hour to 160°C/hour ([5] and [6] in FIG. 1).
In order to increase the content of Cr and Mn in the cementite precipitated by the cooling in the above (2-i), the material is heated from temperature T2 to temperature T3 of (A1+8°C) to (A1+31°C) at an average heating rate R of 75°C/hour to 160°C/hour. If the average heating rate R is too fast, the diffusion of Cr and Mn becomes insufficient, the content of Cr and Mn in the cementite generated by the above heating and holding becomes insufficient, the hardness increases, and the cold workability decreases. Therefore, the average heating rate R is set to 160°C/hour or less. The average heating rate R is preferably 155°C/hour or less, more preferably 150°C/hour or less. It is further more preferably 120°C/hour or less, and particularly preferably 100°C/hour or less. On the other hand, if the average heating rate R is too slow, the cementite dissolves more than necessary, and as a result, the total content of Cr and Mn contained in the cementite decreases. Furthermore, if the average heating rate R is too slow, the cementite formed during cooling from the temperature T1 becomes excessively coarse, and as a result, the cementite is not sufficiently dissolved during the high temperature holding in the quenching process, resulting in a decrease in hardness after quenching, i.e., deterioration of quenchability. This also leads to an increase in the annealing time, resulting in a decrease in productivity. Therefore, the average heating rate R is set to 75°C/hour or more, and preferably 80°C/hour or more.

In addition, if the temperature T3, which is the heating temperature reached in the cooling-heating process, is too low, the diffusion of Cr and Mn becomes insufficient, and the Cr and Mn content in the cementite generated in the heating and holding process is insufficient, which increases the hardness and reduces the cold workability. Therefore, the temperature T3 needs to be (A1 + 8°C) or higher. The temperature T3 is preferably (A1 + 15°C) or higher, and more preferably (A1 + 20°C) or higher. On the other hand, if the temperature T3, which is the heating temperature reached, is too high, the cementite dissolves more than necessary, and as a result, the total content of Cr and Mn contained in the cementite decreases. Therefore, the heating temperature (T3) is set to (A1 + 31°C) or lower. The temperature T3 is preferably (A1 + 30°C) or lower, and more preferably (A1 + 29°C) or lower.

After reaching temperature T3, which is the heating temperature, it is acceptable to hold the material at this temperature T3, but if the holding time (t3) at temperature T3 is too long, the spheroidal cementite formed during the heating and holding process at temperature T1 is likely to re-melt, and hardness may increase. Furthermore, if the holding time (t3) at temperature T3 is too long, this may result in an increase in annealing time, which may reduce productivity. Therefore, the holding time (t3) at temperature T3 is preferably within 1 hour.

In the manufacturing method according to this embodiment, as described below, the cooling-heating process of the cooling in (2-i) and the heating in (2-ii) is repeated multiple times, and in each process, the temperature T2 reached by cooling, the average heating rate R, and the temperature T3 must satisfy the above ranges.

The magnitude relationship between the temperature T3 and the temperature T1 is not particularly limited. For example, the temperature T3 may be the same as the temperature T1, or the temperature T3 may be higher than the temperature T1. Alternatively, from the viewpoint of sufficiently dissolving the rod-shaped cementite in the austenite, the temperature T1 may be higher than the temperature T3.

(2-iii) The cooling-heating step is carried out a total of 2 to 6 times ([7] in FIG. 1)
In order to increase the concentration of Mn and Cr in the cementite and promote the coarsening of the cementite, the cooling-heating process needs to be performed 2 to 6 times in total. If the cooling-heating process is not repeated, the concentration of Mn and Cr in the cementite becomes insufficient or the coarsening of the cementite becomes insufficient. As a result, the hardness after spheroidizing annealing increases. Therefore, the cooling-heating process is performed two or more times. It is preferably performed three or more times. The more the number of times is increased, the lower the hardness becomes, but if the number of times is too many, the effect is saturated. In addition, it leads to an increase in the annealing time, which reduces productivity. Therefore, the number of times the cooling-heating process is performed is set to six or less. In the case of FIG. 1, the number of times the cooling-heating process is performed is four. The temperature T2, which is the temperature reached in each cooling, the average heating rate R, and the temperature T3, which is the temperature reached in each heating, may be different within the respective specified ranges.

[(3) Cooling from temperature T3 in the final cooling-heating step ([8] in FIG. 1)]
Cooling is performed from the temperature T3 of the final cooling-heating step. The average cooling rate and the cooling end temperature during the cooling are not particularly limited. From the viewpoint of further suppressing the reprecipitation of rod-shaped cementite, the average cooling rate may be, for example, 100 ° C./hour or less. Also, from the viewpoint of further suppressing excessive coarsening of cementite, the average cooling rate may be 5 ° C./hour or more. Also, the cooling end temperature can be, for example, (A1-30 ° C.) or less. For example, cooling to a temperature range of (A1-30 ° C.) or less and (A1-100 ° C.) or more at the above average cooling rate, and then air cooling can be performed. Alternatively, by setting the cooling end temperature to, for example, less than (A1-100 ° C.), the reprecipitation of rod-shaped cementite can be further suppressed and the cold workability can be further improved. In this case, from the viewpoint of shortening the annealing time, the cooling end temperature may be (A1-250 ° C.) or more, further (A1-200 ° C.) or more, or further (A1-150 ° C.) or more.

The above-mentioned spheroidizing annealing (steps (1) to (3)) may be repeated once or multiple times. From the viewpoint of suppressing excessive coarsening of cementite and ensuring productivity, it is preferable to repeat the process four times or less, and more preferably three times or less. When the above-mentioned spheroidizing annealing is repeated multiple times, it may be repeated under the same conditions or different conditions within the above-mentioned range. When the above-mentioned spheroidizing annealing is repeated multiple times, wire drawing may be added between the spheroidizing annealing steps. For example, the steps may be performed in the following order: wire drawing before the spheroidizing annealing described below → first spheroidizing annealing → wire drawing → second spheroidizing annealing.

In the manufacturing method of steel wire for machine structural components according to this embodiment, the steps other than the spheroidizing annealing step are not particularly limited. For example, a step of performing wire drawing with an area reduction rate of preferably 15% or less for the purpose of adjusting dimensions after spheroidizing annealing may be included. By setting the area reduction rate to 15% or less, it is possible to suppress an increase in hardness before cold working. The area reduction rate is more preferably 10% or less, even more preferably 8% or less, and even more preferably 5% or less.

In order to promote the formation of the structure of the present invention, it is preferable to provide a process of performing wire drawing with an area reduction rate of more than 5% before spheroidizing annealing. By performing wire drawing with the above area reduction rate, cementite in the steel is destroyed, and the subsequent spheroidizing annealing can promote the aggregation of cementite, so that the cementite can be moderately coarsened and is effective for softening. In addition, by performing wire drawing with the above area reduction rate, the movement of the interface and the diffusion of elements are activated, and the content of Cr and Mn in the cementite increases. The area reduction rate is more preferably 10% or more, even more preferably 15% or more, and even more preferably 20% or more. On the other hand, if the area reduction rate is excessively large, there is a possibility that it may lead to a risk of wire breakage. Therefore, the area reduction rate is preferably 50% or less. When wire drawing is performed multiple times, the number of times of wire drawing is not particularly limited, and can be, for example, two times. In addition, when multiple wiredrawing processes are performed, the above "area reduction rate during wiredrawing" refers to the area reduction rate from the steel material before wiredrawing to the steel material after multiple wiredrawing processes have been performed.

The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples. The present invention is not limited to the following examples, and can of course be modified as appropriate within the scope of the above and below-described aims, and all such modifications are within the technical scope of the present invention.

After the test material having the chemical composition shown in Table 1 was melted in a converter, the steel billet obtained by casting was hot-rolled to produce wire rods with diameters of 12 to 16 mm. Note that in the case of "with wire drawing" before spheroidizing annealing in Table 2 described later, i.e., in the case of sample No. 2 in Table 3, which was produced under manufacturing condition B, the above wire rod was subjected to wire drawing with an area reduction rate of 25%, and the steel wire obtained was subjected to spheroidizing annealing.

The wire or steel wire was annealed in a laboratory furnace. In the annealing, the wire or steel wire was heated to T1 shown in Table 2 and held for t1 hour. It was then cooled to temperature T2 in Table 2 at an average cooling rate of 5-100°C/hour, and then heated to temperature T3 at an average heating rate R shown in Table 2. This cooling and heating process was carried out the number of times shown in Table 2 for cooling-heating. The wire or steel wire was then cooled from the heating temperature in the final cooling-heating process to obtain a sample.

As a comparative example, for sample No. 12 shown in Table 3, the heat treatment process shown in Figure 2 was carried out under manufacturing condition H1, i.e., a heat treatment process with zero cooling-heating steps. Note that, under this manufacturing condition H1, wire drawing with a 25% area reduction rate was not carried out before annealing. Also, for sample No. 13 shown in Table 3, the heat treatment process shown in Figure 2 was carried out under manufacturing condition H2, i.e., a heat treatment process with zero cooling-heating steps, using a steel wire obtained by wire drawing with a 25% area reduction rate before annealing.

As a further comparative example, in sample No. 14 shown in Table 3, the heat treatment conditions satisfying the manufacturing conditions of Patent Document 3 were used as manufacturing conditions I, specifically, the conditions shown as SA2 in the examples of Patent Document 3 were used, i.e., the heat treatment process shown in Figure 3 was repeated five times. In sample No. 18 shown in Table 3, the heat treatment conditions satisfying the manufacturing conditions of Patent Document 1 were used as manufacturing conditions M, specifically, the fifth spheroidizing annealing condition in No. 1 of Table 2 of Patent Document 1 was used, i.e., the heat treatment process shown in Figure 4 was repeated three times. In addition, in sample No. 19 shown in Table 3, the heat treatment conditions satisfying the manufacturing conditions of Patent Document 2 were used as manufacturing conditions N, specifically, the conditions c in Table 2 of Patent Document 2 were used, i.e., the heat treatment pattern shown in Figure 5 was performed.

The annealing parameters T1, T2, and T3 listed in Table 2 are the set temperatures of the heat treatment furnace. A thermocouple was attached to the steel to test the discrepancy between the actual steel temperature and the set temperature, and it was confirmed that the steel temperature and the set temperature were approximately the same.

Using the samples obtained by the above annealing, the average ferrite grain size, the average size of all cementite, and the total Cr and Mn content in cementite were determined as follows to evaluate the metal structure. In addition, the hardness after spheroidizing annealing and hardness after quenching were measured and evaluated as properties using the following methods.

[Metal structure evaluation]
[Average ferrite grain size]
First, the ferrite grain size was measured as follows. The test piece was embedded in resin so that the cross section of the steel wire after spheroidizing annealing, i.e., the D/4 position (D: diameter of the steel wire) of the cross section perpendicular to the axial direction of the steel wire, could be observed, and the test piece was etched using nital (2% by volume of nitric acid, 98% by volume of ethanol) as an etching solution to reveal the structure. Then, the structure of the test piece in which the structure was revealed was observed at a magnification of 400 times using an optical microscope, and one field of view in which ferrite grains of an average size representative of the structure of the entire steel wire could be observed within the evaluation surface was selected, and a micrograph was obtained. Next, the value of the ferrite grain size (G) was calculated from the photographed micrograph based on the comparison method of JIS G0551 (2020). Then, using the calculated value of the ferrite grain size (G), "Introductory Lecture Technical Terms-Iron and Steel Materials-3 Grain Size Number and Grain Size", Umemoto Minoru, Feram Vol. 2 (1997) No. In the relationships between the quantities related to the grain size and grain size shown in Table 1 on page 32 of JP-A No. 10, pp. 29-34, the average ferrite grain size dn was calculated from the following formula (4), which shows the relationship between the ferrite grain size G(orN) and the average ferrite grain size dn. The results are shown in Table 3. In this example, all of Samples No. 1 to 11 in Table 3 had a ferrite area ratio of 90% or more.
dn=0.254/(2 ^(G-1)/2 )...(4)

[Average size of all cementite]
The average size of the total cementite in the steel wire after spheroidizing annealing was measured by embedding the test piece in resin so that the cross section could be observed, and mirror-polishing the cut surface with emery paper and a diamond buff. Next, the cut surface was etched for 30 seconds to 1 minute using nital (2% by volume of nitric acid, 98% by volume of ethanol) as an etching solution to reveal the ferrite grain boundary and cementite at the D/4 position (D: diameter of the steel wire). Then, using a FE-SEM (Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscope), the structure of the test piece in which the cementite and the like were revealed was observed, and three fields of view were photographed at a magnification of 2500 times.

An overhead projector film was placed over the micrograph taken above, and all of the cementite in the micrograph was painted over from above the overhead projector film to obtain a projected image to be analyzed. The projected image was binarized to produce a black and white photograph, and the circle equivalent diameter of all of the cementite was calculated using the image package software "Particle Analysis ver. 3.5" (Nippon Steel Technology Co., Ltd.). The average size of all of the cementite listed in Table 3 is the average value of the values calculated from three fields of view. The minimum size (circle equivalent diameter) of the cementite to be measured was set to 0.3 μm.

[Measurement of the total content of Cr and Mn in cementite (measurement of electrolytic extraction residue)]
A test material was prepared by cutting or polishing about 9 g of a sample from a portion excluding the surface layer (less than 1 mm) of the steel wire so that it could be electrolyzed. The test material was immersed in an electrolytic solution (10% acetylacetone-1% tetramethylammonium chloride-methanol) and electricity was passed through it to electrolyze about 9 g of the test material at a constant current. The electrolytic solution after electrolysis was then filtered through a filter with a pore size of 0.10 μm (polycarbonate type membrane filter manufactured by Advantec Toyo Co., Ltd.), and the residue remaining on the filter was obtained as cementite in the steel. Next, the residue was dissolved in an acid solution and analyzed by ICP emission spectroscopy to determine the Cr amount and Mn amount in the cementite, and the total value was obtained as the total content of Cr and Mn in mass% in the cementite {Cr + Mn}.

The total Cr and Mn content in mass% in the steel was measured as follows. Approximately 4 g of a specimen was taken from the above sample, dissolved in an acid solution, and then analyzed by ICP atomic emission spectrometry to determine the amount of Cr and Mn in the steel, and their total value [Cr+Mn] was obtained. The total Cr and Mn content in mass% in the above cementite {Cr+Mn} was then divided by the total Cr and Mn content in mass% in the steel [Cr+Mn] to obtain the concentration ratio {Cr+Mn}/[Cr+Mn].

[Evaluation of characteristics]
[Measurement of hardness after spheroidizing annealing]
In order to evaluate the cold workability, the hardness of each sample after spheroidizing annealing was measured as follows. A Vickers hardness test was performed at the D/4 position (D: steel wire diameter) of the cross section of the test piece in accordance with JIS Z2244 (2009). The Vickers hardness obtained by calculating the average of three or more points was taken as the hardness after spheroidizing annealing. The measurement results are shown in Table 3. In Table 3, the hardness after spheroidizing annealing is shown as "spheroidized hardness". In this example, when the hardness after spheroidizing annealing satisfies the following formula (2) when the C amount (mass%), Cr amount (mass%), and Mo amount (mass%) in the steel are expressed as [C], [Cr], and [Mo] (elements not included are zero mass%), the cold workability was evaluated as "OK" as excellent, and the cold workability was evaluated as "NG" as poor when the following formula (2) was not satisfied.
Hardness after spheroidizing annealing (HV) < 91 ([C] + [Cr] / 9 + [Mo] / 2) + 91 ... (2)

[Measurement of hardness after quenching treatment]
To evaluate the hardenability, the hardness of each sample after the quenching treatment was measured as follows. First, as a sample for quenching treatment, each sample after spheroidizing annealing was processed to have a thickness (t) of 5 mm, which is the length in the rolling direction, so that the sample would be sufficiently quenched by the quenching treatment. As a quenching treatment, the sample was held at a high temperature of A3+ (30 to 50°C) for 5 minutes, and was water-cooled after the high temperature holding. The A3 is a value derived from the following formula (5). The high temperature holding time here was the time after the furnace temperature reached the set temperature.
A3 (°C) = 910-203×√([C])-14.2×[Ni]+44.7×[Si]+104×[V]+31.5×[Mo]+13.1×[W ]-30×[Mn]-11×[Cr]-20×[Cu]+700×[P]+400×[Al]+120×[As]+400×[Ti]...(5)
Here, [element] represents the content (mass%) of each element, and elements that are not included are calculated as 0%.

Then, a Vickers hardness test was performed on the sample after the quenching treatment at the t/2 position and the D/4 position (D: diameter of the steel wire, t: thickness of the sample). The Vickers hardness obtained by calculating the average of three or more points was defined as the hardness after the quenching treatment. The measurement results are shown in Table 3. In Table 3, the hardness after the quenching treatment is shown as "quenched hardness". In this example, when the hardness after the quenching treatment satisfies the following formula (3) when the amount of C (mass%) in the steel is expressed as [C], the hardness was evaluated as "OK" as having excellent hardenability, and when the hardness after the quenching treatment does not satisfy the following formula (3), the hardness was evaluated as "NG" as having poor hardenability.
Hardness after quenching (HV)>380ln([C])+1010 ... (3)

In Table 3, when the hardness after the spheroidizing annealing and the hardness after the quenching treatment are both OK, the overall judgment is "OK" since it has both excellent cold workability and excellent hardenability, and when at least one of the hardness after the spheroidizing annealing and the hardness after the quenching treatment is NG, it does not have both excellent cold workability and excellent hardenability and is therefore overall judgment is "NG". In Tables 2 and 3, underlined values indicate that they are outside the range of the present invention or do not meet the desired characteristics.

The results in the table are considered. The following No. indicates the sample No. in Table 3. Nos. 1 to 11 are examples of the invention that satisfy all of the component compositions, metal structures, and spheroidizing annealing conditions specified in the embodiments of the present invention.

Nos. 12, 20, 22 and 23 had an insufficient number of cooling-heating steps, so the total Cr and Mn content in the cementite was low or the cementite was not coarsened sufficiently, resulting in a hardness after spheroidizing annealing that was higher than the standard value and poor cold workability.

No. 13 is an example in which annealing was performed after wire drawing with an area reduction rate of 25%. The total Cr and Mn content in the cementite was increased by wire drawing, but because there were no cooling-heating steps, the average size of all the cementite could not be increased to a certain level or more, and the hardness after spheroidizing annealing was higher than the standard value, resulting in poor cold workability.

No. 14 is an example in which annealing was performed under annealing condition SA2 in Patent Document 3, which is manufacturing condition I that satisfies the manufacturing conditions shown in Patent Document 3. Under these manufacturing conditions, cementite was excessively coarsened by annealing, and the hardness after quenching was lower than the standard value, resulting in poor hardenability.

In No. 15, the temperature T2 was 710°C, which is higher than A1-17°C, so when cooling from temperature T1, the cementite did not coarsen sufficiently, and the total content of Cr and Mn in the cementite was low, resulting in a hardness after spheroidizing annealing that was higher than the standard value and poor cold workability.

In Nos. 16 and 17, the average heating rate R from temperature T2 was low, so the total content of Cr and Mn in the cementite was low, and the hardness after spheroidizing annealing did not fall below the standard value, resulting in poor cold workability, or the hardness after quenching was lower than the standard value, resulting in poor hardenability.

No. 18 is an example of annealing performed under manufacturing condition M, which satisfies the manufacturing conditions shown in Patent Document 1. Under these manufacturing conditions, the heating and holding time at temperature T1 is particularly short at 0.5 hours, so that a large amount of small rod-shaped cementite remains within the crystal grains, the average size of all cementite does not exceed a certain level, and the hardness after spheroidizing annealing is higher than the standard value, resulting in poor cold workability.

No. 19 is an example of annealing under condition c of Patent Document 2, which is the manufacturing condition N that satisfies the manufacturing conditions shown in Patent Document 2. Under these manufacturing conditions, there is no holding at temperature T1, and many small rod-shaped cementites remain in the crystal grains, so the average size of all cementite does not exceed a certain level. In addition, the average heating rate R from temperature T2 is low, so the total content of Cr and Mn in the cementite is low, and the hardness after spheroidizing annealing does not fall below the standard value, resulting in poor cold workability.

In No. 21, the temperature T3 was 730°C, which was below (A1 + 8°C), so the total content of Cr and Mn in the cementite was low, and the hardness after spheroidizing annealing was not below the standard value, resulting in poor cold workability.

Nos. 24 to 27 did not undergo the cooling and heating process or did not repeat the process, resulting in insufficient coarsening of the cementite, the average size of all the cementite not reaching a certain level, and the hardness after spheroidizing annealing not falling below the standard value, resulting in poor cold workability.

The steel wire for machine structural parts according to this embodiment has low deformation resistance at room temperature when various machine structural parts are manufactured, and can suppress wear and destruction of plastic processing tools such as dies, and also exhibits excellent cold workability, such as suppressing the occurrence of cracks during heading processing. Furthermore, since it has excellent hardenability, high hardness can be ensured by quenching treatment after cold working. For these reasons, the steel wire for machine structural parts according to this embodiment is useful as a steel wire for cold working machine structural parts. For example, the steel wire for machine structural parts according to this embodiment is used for manufacturing various machine structural parts such as automobile parts and construction machine parts by subjecting it to cold working such as cold forging, cold heading, and cold rolling. Specific examples of such mechanical structural parts include bolts, screws, nuts, sockets, ball joints, inner tubes, torsion bars, clutch cases, cages, housings, hubs, covers, cases, washers, tappets, saddles, valves, inner cases, clutches, sleeves, outer races, sprockets, cores, stators, anvils, spiders, rocker arms, bodies, flanges, drums, joints, connectors, pulleys, metal fittings, yokes, nozzles, valve lifters, spark plugs, pinion gears, steering shafts, common rails, and other mechanical and electrical parts.

Claims (6)

C: 0.05% by mass to 0.60% by mass,
Si: 0.005% by mass to 0.50% by mass,
Mn: 0.30% by mass to 1.20% by mass,
P: more than 0 mass%, 0.050 mass% or less,
S: more than 0 mass%, 0.050 mass% or less,
Al: 0.001% by mass to 0.10% by mass,
Cr: more than 0 mass% and 1.5 mass% or less; N: more than 0 mass% and 0.02 mass% or less; the balance being iron and unavoidable impurities;
When the total content (mass%) of Cr and Mn in cementite in the metal structure is represented as {Cr+Mn}, the total content (mass%) of Cr and Mn in the steel is represented as [Cr+Mn], and the amount of C (mass%) in the steel is represented as [C], the concentration ratio {Cr+Mn}/[Cr+Mn] is (0.5[C]+0.040) or more, and further
the average equivalent circle diameter of all cementite when the minimum size (equivalent circle diameter) of cementite to be measured is 0.3 μm, and when the amount of C (mass%) in the steel is expressed as [C], is (1.668-2.13 [C]) μm or more and (1.863-2.13 [C]) μm or less ;
A steel wire for machine structural parts, having an average ferrite grain size of 30 μm or less . Furthermore,
Cu: more than 0 mass%, 0.25 mass% or less,
Ni: more than 0 mass%, 0.25 mass% or less,
The steel wire for machine structural components according to claim 1, comprising one or more selected from the group consisting of Mo: more than 0 mass % and 0.50 mass % or less, and B: more than 0 mass % and 0.01 mass % or less. Furthermore,
Ti: more than 0 mass%, 0.2 mass% or less,
3. The steel wire for machine structural components according to claim 1, further comprising one or more selected from the group consisting of Nb: more than 0 mass% and 0.2 mass% or less, and V: more than 0 mass% and 0.5 mass% or less. Furthermore,
Mg: more than 0 mass%, 0.02 mass% or less,
Ca: more than 0 mass%, 0.05 mass% or less,
The steel wire for machine structural components according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising one or more selected from the group consisting of Li: more than 0 mass% and 0.02 mass% or less, and REM: more than 0 mass% and 0.05 mass% or less. A bar steel satisfying the chemical composition according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The method for producing a steel wire for machine structural parts according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , further comprising a step of carrying out spheroidizing annealing, the step including the following steps (1) to (3):
(1) After heating to a temperature T1 of (A1+8°C) to (A1+31°C), the material is heated and held at the temperature T1 for more than 1 hour and not more than 6 hours;
(2) Cooling to a temperature T2 of more than 650° C. and not more than (A1−17° C.), and then heating to a temperature T3 of (A1+8° C.) to (A1+31° C.) at an average heating rate of 75° C./hour to 160° C./hour, performing the cooling-heating step 2 to 6 times in total;
(3) Cooling is performed from temperature T3 in the final cooling-heating step.
Here, A1 is calculated by the following formula (1).
A1 (℃) = 723 + 29.1 x [Si] - 10.7 x [Mn] + 16.9 x [Cr] - 16.9 x [Ni]... (1)
Here, [element] represents the content (mass%) of each element, and the content of elements that are not included is zero. 6. The method for producing a steel wire for a machine structural component according to claim 5 , wherein the steel section is a steel wire obtained by drawing a wire rod at an area reduction rate of more than 5%.