阅读说明：本技术 用于无级变速器的传动带的金属环构件及其制造方法 (Metal ring member for transmission belt of continuously variable transmission and method of manufacturing the same ) 是由 B·彭宁斯 于 2018-12-22 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种用在用于无级变速器的传动带(3)中的金属环(41),该金属环(41)由马氏体时效钢制成,并设有氮化表面层。根据本发明,氮化表面层中的在5微米深度处的氮含量为至少0.80质量％。(The invention relates to a metal ring (41) for use in a drive belt (3) for a continuously variable transmission, which metal ring (41) is made of maraging steel and is provided with a nitrided surface layer. According to the present invention, the nitrogen content at a depth of 5 μm in the nitrided surface layer is at least 0.80 mass%.)

1. A metal ring (41) made of a precipitation hardening steel alloy, such as maraging steel, for use in a drive belt (3) for a continuously variable transmission having two pulleys (1, 2) and having said drive belt (3), characterized in that the metal ring (41) is provided with a nitrided surface layer, wherein at least 0.80 wt.%, preferably at least 1.0 wt.%, of nitrogen is present at 5 μm inwards of the outer surface of the metal ring (41).

2. Metal ring (41) according to claim 1, characterized in that there is at most 0.15 wt. -%, preferably at most 0.10 wt. -%, inward 20 microns of the outer surface of the metal ring.

3. Metal ring (41) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein in the nitrided surface layer the local slope of the nitrogen concentration is at least minus 0.050 weight%/micrometer, preferably at least minus 0.075 weight%/micrometer, 10 to 15 micrometer inward of the outer surface of the metal ring.

4. Metal ring (41) according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the nitrided surface layer (42) of the metal ring has a Thickness (TNSL) that decreases, preferably continuously and/or gradually, from the axial side of the metal ring (41) towards the direction of the axial middle of the radially inner and/or outer surface of the metal ring.

5. A metal ring (41) according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the thickness (TNSL-rf) of the nitrided surface layer (42) in the middle of the radially inner and/or radially outer surface of the metal ring (41) is at most 50% of the thickness (TNSL-af) of the nitrided surface layer (42) of the metal ring at the axial side of the metal ring (41).

6. A metal ring (41) according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the thickness (TNSL-rf) of the nitrided surface layer (42) in the middle of the radially inner and/or radially outer surface of the metal ring (41) is at most 10 micrometers and the thickness (TNSL-af) of the nitrided surface layer (42) at the axial sides. The nitrided surface layer (42) of the metal ring has a thickness (TNSL-af) at the axial side of the metal ring (41) of at least 20 micrometers.

7. The metal ring (41) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the metal ring (41) has a compressive residual stress at its surface greater than 1000MPa and a hardness value greater than 1000HV 0.1.

8. Metal ring (41) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is made of a steel alloy comprising:

-17 to 19% by weight of nickel,

-15 to 17% by weight of cobalt, and

-more than 5% by weight, preferably 6.5 to 8% by weight, of molybdenum.

9. A method for manufacturing a metal ring (41) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the metal ring (41) is subjected to a nitriding process, i.e. a heat treatment in a process atmosphere comprising ammonia gas, characterized in that the process settings of the nitriding process are controlled in dependence of the amount of nitrogen introduced into the interior of the surface of the metal ring (41) during the nitriding process.

10. A method for manufacturing a metal ring (41) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the metal ring (41) is subjected to a nitriding process, i.e. a heat treatment in a process atmosphere comprising ammonia gas, characterized in that, in the nitriding process, the radially inner and outer surfaces of the metal ring (41) are at least partially covered, i.e. isolated, from the process atmosphere.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an endless flexible metal belt for use as a ring member in a drive belt for power transmission between two adjustable pulleys of a well-known continuously variable transmission or CVT for application in motor vehicles. In the drive belt, a plurality of such metal rings is incorporated into at least one but usually two laminated, i.e. radially embedded, groups thereof. The known drive belt also comprises a plurality of transverse segments which are slidably mounted on such a ring set and are usually also made of metal.

Background

Maraging steel is generally used as a base material for the metal ring, since this material has a high resistance to wear and to bending and/or tensile stress fatigue, at least after it has been subjected to a suitable heat treatment, including precipitation hardening by ageing and case hardening by nitriding, in particular so-called gas soft nitriding. The basic alloying elements of maraging steel are iron, nickel, cobalt and molybdenum, possibly with minor amounts of titanium, chromium, aluminium etc. and the balance iron. Although not currently widely used, it is known that other precipitation hardening steel alloys may replace maraging steel.

In drive belt applications of metal rings, not only the yield strength of the metal rings, but also the surface hardness values and the surface compressive stress levels are important product characteristics that determine the load-bearing capacity and the life of the drive belt. These product properties are finally determined by said ageing and nitriding heat treatments. In particular, in nitriding, the surface layer of the metal ring is rich in nitrogen to achieve a surface hardness of 1000HV0.1 and higher and a compressive stress of 1000MPa and higher. By means of such a nitrided surface layer, the metal rings have excellent resistance to wear caused by impact and/or sliding contact of the transverse segments and/or the drive pulleys with the ring sets, for example during operation of the drive belt in a gearbox.

In the manufacture of drive belts, it is currently standard practice to set the desired value for the wear resistance level of the metal rings for the thickness of the nitrided surface layer in order to ensure the service life of the drive belt. The gas nitrocarburizing process is then controlled to achieve this nitrided layer thickness, particularly by controlling the partial pressures of ammonia and hydrogen in the process gas, the temperature of the process gas, and the duration of the nitriding process.

The above-described conventional arrangement of the belt manufacturing process, and in particular the conventional arrangement of the metal ring nitriding process portion thereof, has proven satisfactory for many years. However, according to the present disclosure, this conventional arrangement is no longer optimal for a new generation of maraging steel compositions developed for drive belt applications over the past decade or so and introduced into the production of drive belt families until recently. Such basic components include:

-17 to 19 mass% of nickel (Ni),

-15 to 17 mass% of cobalt (Co),

at least 5 mass%, preferably 6.5 to 8 mass%, of molybdenum (Mo) and possibly lesser amounts of titanium, chromium, aluminium, etc., and the balance iron.

Disclosure of Invention

In particular, the basic insight underlying the present disclosure is that the tensile stress load of the metal rings becomes an increasingly important parameter in determining the operational limits of the drive belt, since the size etc. (a/o) of the drive belt can be reduced by these new maraging steel compositions. According to a further fundamental insight of the present disclosure, in principle, such tensile strength or yield strength of the metal ring can be increased by reducing the nitride layer thickness of the relatively brittle nitrided surface layer.

Based on the above insight, the present disclosure proposes to quantify and control the nitridation process in manufacturing not for the nitride layer thickness, i.e. the depth of the nitrogen diffusion penetration, but for the depth, i.e. the nitrogen concentration over a vertical distance inward from the ring surface. In accordance with the present disclosure, a relatively high nitrogen concentration adjacent the ring surface facilitates at least maintaining its conventional wear resistance while increasing its yield strength, as compared to current practice. At the same time, it is preferable to reduce the nitrogen concentration deeper in the metal ring, i.e. further away from its surface, compared to current practice. The above-mentioned relatively high molybdenum content in the maraging steel makes it possible to achieve such a high nitrogen content by molybdenum atoms having a high affinity to bind to nitrogen atoms adjacent to the ring surface.

Particularly according to the invention, a depth range of 5 to 20 micrometers is contemplated. There appears to be no large change in nitrogen concentration, either near or far from the ring surface, at least not related to the composition of the maraging steel. According to the invention, the nitrided surface layer is quantified in this respect by:

-a nitrogen weight content at a depth of 5 microns of 0.80 mass% or more, preferably greater than 1.0 mass%; and/or

-a nitrogen content by weight at a depth of 20 microns of 0.15% by mass or less, preferably less than 0.10% by mass.

According further to the invention, the surface layer is additionally or alternatively quantitatively nitrided by the absolute value of the local slope at a depth of 10 to 15 micrometres of the curve of the variation of the nitrogen content with respect to depth being greater than or equal to 0.050% by mass/micrometres, preferably greater than 0.075% by mass/micrometres.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure and based on the same insight above, the nitrided surface layer, i.e. its thickness, can also be optimized along the cross-sectional perimeter of the metal ring. In particular, the thickness of the nitride layer along such a periphery is adjusted to suit the locally required surface hardness and/or compressive stress of the metal ring or even of the individual metal rings. For example, it may be advantageously taken into account that the axial side faces of the metal ring are more heavily influenced by said contact with the transverse segments or pulleys than the radially inner main face and the radially outer main face thereof. On the other hand, the material properties at the radially oriented main faces determine to a large extent the bending fatigue strength of the metal ring, which benefits from a more ductile, less brittle microstructure. Furthermore, as a secondary effect, it may be considered that only the radially inner main face of the innermost metallic ring of the ring set and the radially outer main face of the outermost metallic ring of the ring set are in contact with the transverse segments.

Based on these latter insights, the present disclosure proposes, for the ring part in the middle of the ring set, quantifying and controlling the nitriding process in the manufacturing process such that the nitrided layer thickness of the metal ring is greatest at the axial side faces of the metal ring and decreases towards the axial middle of the two radially oriented main faces of the metal ring. It is possible that this reduction in the thickness of the nitrided layer may also be applied only to the radially outwardly directed main face of the innermost metallic ring of the ring set and only to the radially inwardly directed main face of the outermost metallic ring of the ring set, while the other radially directed main faces of the innermost metallic ring and of the outermost metallic ring are in contact with the transverse segment during operation and are provided with a nitrided surface layer of substantially constant thickness.

According to the invention, in this respect the nitrided surface layer is quantified by the thickness at the axial middle of the metal ring being at most 50% of its thickness at the axial sides of the metal ring. In particular, the thickness of the nitrided layer at the axial side faces of the metal ring is 20 microns or more and the thickness of the nitrided layer at the axial middle of the radially oriented main face of the metal ring is 10 microns or less. In this connection, it is preferable that no nitrided surface layer is present in the axial middle of the metal ring.

This particular embodiment of the metal rings is particularly advantageous for drive belts provided with only one ring set, in which case the metal rings applied therein are relatively wide, in particular having a width of more than 15 mm.

It should be noted that the above-defined difference in the thickness of the nitrided layer according to the present invention can be achieved in manufacturing, i.e. in gas nitrocarburizing, by progressively isolating the metal ring from its lateral faces towards its axial middle with respect to the process gas atmosphere. For example, during nitriding, said intermediate portion of the radially oriented main face of the metal ring may be covered by an impermeable or semi-permeable cover layer. This capping layer may be applied only temporarily and may be removed after nitridation.

The above aspects of the present disclosure are desirably applied in combination. In particular, even if the nitrided surface layer is relatively thin at the axial middle of the metal ring (radially oriented main face), in this case, the high concentration of nitrogen adjacent to the ring surface can still provide sufficient surface hardness.

Drawings

The drive belt, its ring member and its method of manufacture described above will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a known transmission including two variable pulleys and a drive belt;

figure 2 shows, in a cross-sectional view, two known types of drive belts, each provided with a set of metal rings and a plurality of transverse segments slidably mounted on such a ring set along the circumferential direction of the ring set;

FIG. 3 provides a schematic illustration of a currently relevant portion of a known method of manufacturing a metallic ring member for a power transmission belt;

FIG. 4 is a graphical representation of nitrogen content in a nitrided surface layer of a metal ring member;

fig. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a metal ring member showing the thickness of a nitrided surface layer.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a central part of a known continuously variable transmission or CVT applied to the drive train of a motor vehicle, typically between the engine and the driven wheels of the motor vehicle. The transmission comprises two pulleys 1, 2 each provided with a pair of conical pulley discs 4, 5 mounted on a pulley shaft 6 or 7, defining between the pulley discs 4, 5 a circumferential pulley groove of substantially V-shape. At least one pulley disc 4 of each pair of pulley discs 4, 5, i.e. of each pulley 1, 2, is axially movable along a pulley shaft 6, 7 of the respective pulley 1, 2. A drive belt 3 is wound on the pulleys 1, 2 and is located in its pulley grooves for transmitting rotational movement and accompanying torque between the pulley shafts 6, 7.

The transmission usually also comprises an actuating device (not shown) which, at least during operation, exerts an axially directed clamping force on said pulley discs 4 of each pulley 1, 2 which are axially movable, which clamping force is directed towards the respective other pulley disc 5 of that pulley 1, 2, so that the drive belt 3 is clamped between these respective discs 4, 5. These clamping forces determine not only the maximum applicable frictional force between the drive belt 3 and the respective pulley 1, 2 for transmitting said torque, but also the radial position R of the drive belt 3 in the pulley groove. These radial positions R determine the variator speed ratio. Transmissions of this type and their operation are known per se.

In fig. 2, two known examples of the drive belt 3 are schematically shown in a cross-sectional view of the drive belt towards its circumferential direction. In both examples, the drive belt 3 comprises transverse segments 32 arranged in a row along the circumference of an annular carrier in the form of one or two ring sets 31 of metal rings 41. In either example of the drive belt 3, the ring set 31 is laminated, i.e. comprises a plurality of flat and thin, i.e. band-shaped, individual metal rings 41 which are embedded in one another. In practice, 6, 9, 10 or 12 metal rings 41 with a thickness of 185 microns are used in most cases in the ring set 31.

On the left-hand side of fig. 2, an embodiment of the drive belt 3 is shown, which comprises two such ring sets 31, each accommodated in a respective groove of a transverse segment 32, which groove is open towards its respective axial side. These grooves are defined between the base 33 and the head 35 of the transverse section 32 on both sides of a relatively narrow web portion 34 interconnecting the base 33 and the head 35.

On the right side of fig. 2, an embodiment of the drive belt 3 is shown, which comprises only a single ring set 31. In this case, the ring set 31 is accommodated in a central recess of the transverse section 32 which is open to the radial outside of the drive belt 3. The central recess is defined between a base portion 33 of the transverse section 32 and two cylindrical portions 36, which cylindrical portions 36 extend in a radially outward direction from either axial side of the base portion 33, respectively. In this radially outward direction, the central recess is partially closed by a corresponding axially extending hook 37 of the cylindrical portion 36.

The transverse segments 32 of both drive belts 3 are provided on each of their two sides with a contact surface 38 for frictional contact with the pulley discs 4, 5. The contact faces 38 of each transverse segment 32 are mutually oriented at an angle alpha that substantially matches the angle of the V-pulley groove. The transverse section 32 is also typically made of metal.

As is well known, during operation of the transmission, the separate metal ring 41 of the drive belt 3 is tensioned by (a/o) a radially directed reaction force with respect to said clamping force. The resulting ring tension is, however, not constant but varies, which variation is not only related to the torque to be transmitted by the transmission, but also to the rotation of the drive belt 3 in the transmission. Thus, in addition to the yield strength and wear resistance of the metallic ring 41, fatigue strength is also an important property and design parameter thereof. Therefore, maraging steel, which can be hardened by precipitation formation (aging) to increase its overall strength and additionally case hardened by nitriding (gas soft nitriding) to improve wear resistance and particularly fatigue strength, is used as a base material of the metal ring 41.

Fig. 3 shows the relevant parts of the known manufacturing method of metal rings, as is commonly applied in the field relating to the production of metal drive belts 3 for automotive applications. The individual process steps of the known manufacturing method are indicated by roman numerals.

In a first process step I a sheet or plate 11 of maraging steel base material with a thickness of about 0.4mm is bent into a cylindrical shape and meeting plate ends 12 are welded together in a second process step II to form a hollow cylinder or tube 13. In a third process step III, the tube 13 is annealed in the furnace chamber 50. Thereafter, in a fourth process step IV, the tube 13 is cut into a plurality of metal rings 41, which metal rings 41 are then rolled in a fifth process step V to reduce their thickness, typically to about 0.2mm, while being elongated. The elongated metal ring 41 is thus subjected to a further, ring annealing process step VI to eliminate the work hardening effect of the previous rolling process step by recovery and recrystallization of the ring material in the furnace chamber 50 at temperatures well above 600 degrees celsius (e.g., about 800 ℃). At such high temperatures, the microstructure of the ring material is entirely composed of austenite crystals. However, when the temperature of the metal ring 41 is again lowered to room temperature, this microstructure is transformed back to martensite as desired.

After annealing VI, in a seventh process step VII, the metal ring 41 is calibrated by mounting the metal ring 41 around two rotating rollers and stretching the metal ring 41 to a predetermined circumferential length by forcing the rollers apart. In this ring calibration of the seventh process step VII, internal stresses are also exerted on the metal ring 41. Thereafter, the metal ring 41 is heat treated in a combined ageing treatment, i.e. bulk precipitation hardening, and nitriding, i.e. case hardening, of an eighth process step VIII. In particular, such combined heat treatment involves maintaining the metal ring 41 in a furnace chamber 50 containing a process atmosphere comprising ammonia, nitrogen and hydrogen. In the furnace chamber, the ammonia molecules are decomposed at the surface of the metallic ring 41 into hydrogen and nitrogen atoms, which can enter the microstructure of the metallic ring 41. These nitrogen atoms remain partly in the microstructure as interstitial nitrogen atoms and partly combine with a part of the alloying elements of the maraging steel, in particular for example molybdenum, to form intermetallic precipitates (for example Mo)₂N). These gaps and precipitates are known to significantly improve the resistance of the metal ring 41 to wear and fatigue fracture. It should be noted in particular that combinations of the above are alternatively possibleThe heat treatment is followed or preceded by an ageing heat treatment (without nitriding at the same time), i.e. in an ammonia-free process gas. This separate failure heat treatment is applied when the duration of the nitriding treatment is too short to complete the precipitation hardening process simultaneously.

A plurality of metal rings 41 thus machined are assembled in a ninth process step IX by radial stacking to form the ring set 31, i.e. selected metal rings 41 are concentrically fitted to achieve a minimum radial play or clearance between each pair of adjacent metal rings 41. It is noted that it is also known in the art to alternatively assemble the ring stack 31 directly after ring calibration in the seventh process step VII, i.e. before ring ageing and ring nitriding in the eighth process step VIII.

Many different ranges and values are proposed in the art, which are particularly suitable for the process set-up applied in said eighth process step VIII or process step of ring ageing and ring nitriding, and also in relation to the specific composition of the maraging steel base material for the metal ring 41. In practice, the nitridation process settings are defined so as to provide metal ring 41 with a nitrogen diffusion region, i.e., a nitrided surface layer, having a thickness between 25 and 35 microns. In figure 4 the dashed line represents the measured nitrogen content N in mass% as a function of the measured depth D from the outer surface of the metal ring 41, which is normally present in the drive belt 3 currently produced in large numbers. At a depth of about 30 microns, the measured nitrogen content drops to zero, thereby defining the extent, i.e., the thickness, of the nitrided surface layer.

The present invention recognizes that the thickness of the nitrided surface layer has practically only a minor correlation, while the mechanical properties of the metal ring 41 are instead mainly determined by the nitrogen concentration in the nitrided surface layer. Therefore, according to the present invention, the nitridation process in the eighth process step VIII is preferably controlled for the nitrogen concentration in depth. In particular, according to the present disclosure and as shown by the solid line in fig. 4, adjacent to the surface of the metallic ring 41, a relatively high nitrogen concentration is set to provide wear resistance, while the nitrogen concentration deeper within the metallic ring 41 is set to be relatively low to increase the ductility and/or yield strength of the metallic ring 41. The nitrogen content of the nitrided surface layer according to the invention also shows a higher local slope at half the total thickness, i.e. about (-)0.075 mass%/micrometer at a depth of about 13 micrometers in fig. 4, compared to about (-)0.035 mass%/micrometer at a depth of about 15 micrometers according to the prior art.

The present disclosure also contemplates that, at least as a secondary optimization, the thickness of the nitrided surface layer may be optimized along the cross-sectional perimeter of the metal ring 41. In particular, according to the present disclosure and as shown in fig. 5 in a schematic cross-sectional view of the metallic ring 41, the thickness TNSL of the nitrided surface layer is greatest at its axial sides TNSL-af and decreases towards the axial middle TNSL-rf of the radially oriented main surface of the metallic ring 41. By this measure, according to the present disclosure, the ductility and fatigue strength of the metal rings 41 are improved, without impairing the wear resistance thereof, particularly in the sliding contact between adjacent metal rings 41 of the ring set 31.

In addition to all of the details of the foregoing description and accompanying drawings, the present disclosure also relates to and includes all of the features of the claims. Reference signs in the claims do not limit their scope but are provided merely as a non-limiting example of corresponding features. Depending on the circumstances, the claimed features may be applied individually in a given product or in a given method, but any combination of two or more such features may also be applied therein.

The present disclosure as expressed by the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments and/or examples explicitly mentioned herein, but also includes alterations, modifications and practical applications thereof, particularly those that may occur to those of skill in the art.