As part of a novel method for material development, deep rolling was used in this work to characterize the mechanical properties of macroscopic specimens of C45 (AISI 1045), S235 (AISI 1015), and 100Cr6 (AISI 52100) in various heat treatment states. Deep rolling is conventionally used to enhance surface and subsurface properties by reducing the surface roughness, introducing compressive residual stresses, and strain hardening. In the context of this work, it was utilized to determine material-specific variables via a mechanically applied load. For that purpose, the geometries of individual deep rolled tracks were measured. In dependence of the process parameters such as deep rolling pressure and tool size, the track geometry, i.e., the specific track depth, was for the first time compared for different materials. A functional relationship identified between the specific track depth and the material state dependent hardness forms the basis for a future characterization of the properties of alloy compositions belonging to the Fe-C-Cr system. Since deep rolling is performed in the same clamping as machining operations, hardness alterations could easily be determined at different points in the process chain using an optical in-process measurement of track geometries in the future.
Keywords: deep rolling; material characterization; plastic deformation.