1. Benefits of surface treatments

manufacture of ball-bearing cages: initially, high-carbon steels such as 100 Cr 6 were used, giving high hardness after heat treatment in the mass. Cyclic plasticization at the maximum Hertz stress depth causes local carbon depletion in the metal matrix around the carbide particles, creating butterfly-wing zones conducive to the initiation of subcutaneous cracks. These cracks propagate rapidly, given the high susceptibility of high-carbon steels...