Increase in the fatigue durability of stainless steel by electron-beam surface treatment

The structure, phase composition and dislocation substructure of 20Cr23Ni18 steel subjected to electron-beam treatment and subsequent multicycle fatigue loading until destruction were studied by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. It was shown that electron-beam treatment with an energy density of 20 J/cm(2) increases the fatigue durability by a factor of 2.1. The cause of steel fatigue destruction is analyzed and a way of further increasing the fatigue durability is proposed.