Steeltec ETG ® 88/100

2
 3

Steel for more competitiveness

Steel has been one of the most important

materials going back centuries. We
manufacture it in the grade and quality
that allow our customers to succeed in
the increasingly tough competitive environ-
ment. Steel from Steeltec is employed
where precision components need to fulfil
the highest requirements, in the millions,
safely and reliably over the years. Com-
ponents that have to be produced effi-
ciently and at low cost. The requirements
placed on steel have changed. What
hasn’t is our passion to continually opti-
mise the way we fulfil them: yesterday,
today and in the future.
 4

ETG®: High-Strength Special Steels

for new challenges

Stronger competitors, declining prices,
shorter deadlines and higher demands re-
garding the quality and safety of the
components to be manufactured: these
are the challenges of the market. Those
who aim to meet these demands and
make a profit turn to new variations of
steel. Steels that enable producers to
reshape and restructure their manufactur-
ing processes and techniques. And thus
make them safer and more cost-effective.
These are steels that
– feature a high strength as drawn,
– possess a high fatigue strength and
abrasion resistance,
– have outstanding machining properties
and are distinguished by short chipping
length during machining,
– exhibit a high degree of uniformity from
heat to heat,
– have low residual stresses and maintain
dimensional stability even with asym-
metrical machining
– guarantee consistent mechanical prop-
erties over the entire cross section and
dimension range.
ETG ® steels open up undreamt-of
possibilities in shaping and structuring
the manufacturing processes:
– elimination of extra operations such
as hardening, straightening, grinding
and deburring
– shorter processing times through faster
machining
– longer tool life
– less machine downtime
– multi-machine operation
– possibility of running unmanned shifts
The added costs of using a higher-
quality material are more than made
up for with the savings in the manu-
facturing process.
For the production of demanding com-
ponents, manufacturers can strengthen
their competitiveness through the use
of High-Strength Special Steels:
– smaller sizes save on weight
– shorter process times
– fewer rejects and improved quality
– high processability
– motivated machine operators
– fewer interfaces and less administration
– satisfied customers
In short: Those who replace standard
steels with ETG® High-Strength
Special Steels save on costs, improve
their quality and gain added safety.

The unique properties of ETG® 88 and

ETG® 100 High-Strength Special Steels
revolutionise operational processes and
manufacture of components.
Comparison of component costs ETG®/hardening steels

10

ETG® 2
Hardening steels
Total ETG®
Total hardening steels 0 Material Turning Drilling Tools Heat
treatment
 6
ETG® steels: A unique combination
of properties
The properties of ETG® steels are the out- – Efficient IT solutions through which
come of a combination of know-how
and production possibilities. These include:
– State-of-the-art plants that make it
possible to link different manufacturing
processes together to form a single
production system. Melting, shaping and
manufacturing of components can be
controlled as a whole.
– Effective knowledge management al-
lowing data, experiences and acquired
know-how to be utilised where they
are needed: with the customer, in the
distribution organisations, in the factory.
Everywhere and at all times.
processes can be analysed, improved
and directed. The stringent checks
during production guarantee consistently
high quality within very close tolerances.
– State-of-the-art testing procedures at all
stages of processing, such as 100 %
surface crack testing of all ETG® steels.
– Motivated employees, taking respon-
sibility in their thoughts and actions.
– A network of external partners. In asso-
ciation with customers and suppliers,
universities and research institutes, we
put the emphasis on continually pushing
the existing boundaries.
 7

Short chipping length makes for safe production processes

Product range
ETG® steels are available in various categories, finishes and sizes:

Steel category Processes Size range mm Tolerance – Bar lengths: 3 – 6.5 m

ETG® 88 round drawn ≥ 5.0 – ≤ 20.5 h9 – Colour coding: ETG® 88 white end face,
> 20.5 – ≤ 64.0 h11 ETG® 100 gold end face
> 64.0 – ≤ 114.3 h12 – Bright-turned and bright-turned/ground
ground ≥ 5.0 – ≤ 100.0 ≥ IT6 to special order
ETG ® 100 round drawn ≥ 6.0 – ≤ 64.0 h11 – Other categories to meet special requirements
> 64.0 – ≤ 70.8 h12 (e.g. mechanical properties) are available to
ground ≥ 6.0 – ≤ 70.8 ≥ IT6 special order.
ETG ® 88 hexagonal drawn SW 13 – 27 h11 – Regular sizes are available from stock.
 10
Material properties and fabrication
information
Complex components and demanding
manufacturing processes require the right
material. The more complex the compo-
n ents and the more sophisticated the
manufacturing process, the more impor-
tant it is to use the right material. The job
of our technical support staff is to sup-
port customers in choosing the materials.
Uniform mechanical properties over the entire cross section and dimension range
Proof stress related to diameter
>
> >
> >
Rp0,2 [N/mm2 ]
Diameter [mm]
Information of a more general nature
regarding the use of our ETG® steels:
– As with all drawn steels, loads should
be applied longitudinally wherever pos-
sible. With lateral loading, the tensile
strength and proof stress are reduced.
Wall thicknesses of less than 1 mm are
in the critical boundary range.
– In view of the notch sensitivity, sharp-
edged changes in cross-section should
be avoided, especially if sudden
stresses may occur. Particular care
should be taken when using this mate-
rial at temperatures below 0 °C.
Hardness at different points of cross section
ETG® 100
ETG® 88
Conventional steel
>
– For bolts, screws and gear wheels,
the applicable standards should be con-
sulted.
– ETG® is suitable for threaded bolts with
clamping nuts. It is not suitable though
for screws with heads under stress
except in the case of special fabrication
solutions. ETG® 88 and ETG® 100
do not meet the strength required for
classes 8.8 and 10.9 according to
DIN EN ISO 898-1.
ETG®
Conventional steel
 11

Chemical composition ETG® 88/100, analysis by mass in %:

Element C Si Mn P S
min. 0.42 0.10 1.35 0.24
max. 0.48 0.30 1.65 0.04 0.33

The analysis corresponds to SAE1144 and 44SMn28 (1.0762).

Piece analysis and melt analysis may vary according to EN 10087, table 2.

Mechanical properties (typical values)

ETG® 88 ETG® 100

Static
Dimensions Ø mm 5.0 – 114.3 6.0 – 70.8
Proof stress drawn Rp0,2 N /mm2 ≥ 685 ≥ 865
ground Rp0,2 N /mm 2 ≥ 685 ≥ 800
Tensile strength Rm N /mm2 800 – 950 960 – 1,100
Ultimate elongation A5 % ≥7 ≥6
Reduction of area Z % ap. 30 ap. 20
Elastic modulus N /mm2 ap. 200,000 ap. 200,000
Tensile strength (transverse) Rm N /mm2 ap. 600 ap. 720
Hardness
HRC ap. 28 ap. 32
HB 30 ap. 280 ap. 320
Lateral shear strength τs N /mm2 ap. 510 ap. 590
Torsional shear strength τt N /mm2 ap. 440 ap. 540
Notched impact energy Av RT J ap. 25 ap. 10

Dynamic
Tension/compression σw N /mm 2 ap. 345 ap. 390
Pulsating σ sch N /mm2 ap. 490 ap. 540
Reverse bending σ bw N /mm2 ap. 390 ap. 440
Torsional reversal τ tw N /mm2 ap. 195 ap. 225
Torsional pulsating τ sch N /mm2 ap. 345 ap. 390

Fatigue strength values for gear wheels

ETG® 88 ETG® 100

Tooth root stress for pulsating load

as drawn σFLim N /mm2 248 272
nitrocarburised σ FLim N /mm2 301 327

Tooth root stress for alternating load

as drawn σ WLim N /mm2 174 190
nitrocarburised σ WLim N /mm2 211 229

Straigth teethed gears (m = 2 mm, z= 17)

Tooth system quality 7 acc. to DIN 3961...67
Standard values acc. to DIN 3990 resp. ISO 6336
12

ETG ® opens up new possibilities

in the manufacture of components:

– Greater safety
– Higher quality
– Lower costs

The use of ETG® helps to optimise

production processes:

– Shorter process cycles

– Elimination of some individual
operations
– Weight savings
>

Considerable cost savings throughout

the entire process chain

Steeltec ETG ® and standard steels:

We bring energy to steel A comparison of the mechanical
properties

ETG® steels can be used instead of a

whole range of standard steels. This cuts
down on logistics expenditures, reduces
the risk of material confusion and lowers
complexity costs. At the same time,
individual components can be made in
smaller size: they become lighter and
less expensive.
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Strength values of standard steels compared to ETG®

Guaranteed proof stress Rp0.2 [N/mm2] according to EN 10277

Steel category
Size range mm
Material number EN reference Process 5 – 10 10 – 16 16 – 40 40 – 63 63 – 100

Free-cutting tempering steels

1.0726 35S20 +C 480 400 315 285 255
1.0756 35SPb20 +C+QT 380 320 320
+QT+C 600 580 550 530 530
1.0760 38SMn28 +C 600 530 460 425 350
1.0761 38SMnPb28 +C+QT 420 400 380
+QT+C 700 680 650 650 500
1.0762 44SMn28 +C 550 500 420 400 390
1.0763 44SMnPb28 +C+QT 420 410 400
+QT+C 710 710 660 660 660
1.0727 46S20 +C 570 470 375 325 305
1.0757 46SPb20 +C+QT 430 370 370
+QT+C 680 650 620 620 620
1.0728 60S20 +C 645 540 430 355 335
1.0758 60SPb20 +C+QT 570 570 490 450 450

Hardening steels
1.0501/1.0502 C35/C35Pb +C 510 420 320 300 270
1.1181 C35E +C+QT 370 320 320
1.1180 C35R +QT+C 650 600 530 430 360
1.0503/1.1195 C45/C45Pb +C 565 500 410 360 310
1.1191 C45E +C+QT 430 370 370
1.1201 C45R +QT+C 700 650 570 470 380
1.0540 C50 +C 590 520 440 390
1.1206 C50E +C+QT 460 400 400
1.1241 C50R +QT+C 720 670 600 540 470
1.0601/1.0602 C60/C60Pb +C 630 550 480
1.1221 C60E +C+QT 520 450 450
1.1223 C60R +QT+C 750 720 640 560 480
1.7033 34Cr4 +C+QT 590 460 460
1.7037 34CrS4 +QT+C 800 800 690 560 480
1.7035 41Cr4 +C+QT 660 560 560
1.7039 41CrS4 +QT+C 900 850 770 640 580
1.7218 25CrMo4 +C+QT 600 450 450
1.7213 25CrMoS4 +QT+C 800 770 670 520 450
1.7225 42CrMo4 +C+QT 750 650 650
1.7227 42CrMoS4 +QT+C 920 900 830 730 650
1.6582 34CrNiMo6 +C+QT 900 800 800
+QT+C 950 950 950 850 820

High-Strength Special Steels

ETG® 88 drawn 685

ETG® 100 drawn 865

+C Cold-drawn
+C+QT Cold-drawn and tempered
+QT+C Tempered and cold-drawn

The guaranteed proof stress for all sizes it will be used for. Optimised sizes enable
means that ETG® can be used for a very significant savings in weight and cost.
wide range of applications. ETG® can
be used instead of a whole range of stan-
dard steels. The deciding factor is what
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Changes of the mechanical properties

in relation to temperature

Longitudinal strength in relation to stress-relieving temperature

Typical values, stress-relieving time approx. 2 h

Proof stress Rp0,2 [N/mm 2 ] ´

1,200

1,100
R m ETG® 100

1,000
R p ETG ® 100

900 Rm ETG® 88

800 R p ETG ® 88

700
Tensile strength Rm

600

500

16

14

12
´

10 ETG® 88
Elongation A5 [%]

8 ETG ® 100

0 100 200 300 400 500 600

Stress-relieving temperature [°C] ´

High-temperature longitudinal strength for ETG® 100

in relation to hardening temperature
Typical values
´

1,100
Tensile strength Rm Proof stress Rp0,2 [N /mm2 ]

Rm
1,000 Rp0,2

900

800

700

600

500

400

0 100 200 300 400 500 600

Testing temperature [°C] ´

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In contrast with cold-drawn steel bars,

ETG® 100 has low internal stress. How-
ever, this stress can cause distortion in
situations such as:
– asymmetrical machining
– long, narrow components
– thin-walled components
We recommend stress-relieving the ma-
terial for workpieces of this nature.
The stress-relieving temperature should
be at least 300 °C.

Stress-relieving is not usually necessary

with ETG® 88, as its internal stress levels
are so low.

For high-precision threaded spindles

(i.e. lead screws), ETG® 100 should only
be used in stress-relieved form
(approx. 580 – 600 °C, min. 2 h ).
 18

Processing information

The special manufacturing processes Orientation values for various machining processes
used for ETG® steels result in a unique Machining guidelines Vc [m/min] and f [mm/rev]
combination of high strength combined
ETG® 88 ETG® 100
with outstanding machining properties. Multi-spindle – CNC turning Vc roughing 240 – 280 210 – 250
(Carbide tooling, coated) f 0.20 – 0.60 0.20 – 0.60
Vc finishing 250 – 290 220 – 260
f 0.20 – 0.60 0.20 – 0.60
Vc plunging/parting-off 160 – 240 140 – 220
f 0.15 – 0.50 0.15 – 0.50
Multi-spindle – CAM turning Vc roughing 180 – 220 170 – 210
(carbide tooling, coated) f 0.05 – 0.20 0.05 – 0.20
Vc finishing 190 – 230 180 – 220
f 0.05 – 0.20 0.05 – 0.20
Vc plunging/parting-off 120 – 180 110 – 170
f 0.10 – 0.40 0.10 – 0.40
Short-bed turning – CNC Vc roughing 240 – 280 210 – 250
(Carbide tooling, coated) f 0.20 – 0.60 0.20 – 0.60
Vc finishing 250 – 290 220 – 260
f 0.10 – 0.30 0.10 – 0.30
Vc plunging/parting-off 160 – 240 140 – 220
f 0.15 – 0.50 0.15 – 0.50
Plain turning – CNC Vc roughing 140 – 180 110 – 150
(Carbide tooling, coated) f 0.05 – 0.35 0.05 – 0.30
Vc finishing 160 – 200 130 – 170
f 0.05 – 0.25 0.05 – 0.20
Vc plunging/parting-off 80 – 140 60 – 120
f 0.05 – 0.25 0.05 – 0.25
Drilling Vc 120 – 180 110 – 170
(Solid carb. drill) f 0.10 – 0.30 0.10 – 0.30
Drilling Vc 60 – 100 50 – 90
(HSS, coated) f 0.05 – 0.25 0.05 – 0.25
Reaming Vc 30 – 40 30 – 40
(HSS, coated) f 0.10 – 0.30 0.10 – 0.30
External/internal threading Vc 70 –160 60 – 150
(Chase threading, carbide/HSS, coated)
Internal threading Vc 8–9 8–9
(Cutting, carbide tooling, coated)
Internal threading Vc 10 – 20 10 – 20
(Forming, carbide tooling, coated)

Values as a function of machine and machining parameters


Surface finish
The surface finish of ETG® 88/100 cor-
responds to the specifications in
EN 10277-1. ETG® 88/100 are tested for
cracks as standard. We guarantee a
surface finish of 3 for round bars and a
surface finish of 2 for hexagonal bars.
Please note that for a standard bar, the
ends of the bar (up to 50 mm) cannot be
tested.
If surface imperfections might cause prob-
lems (e.g. notch-stress concentration
effect with surface hardening), the surface
of the material must be removed to at
least the allowable depth of imperfection.
Non-cutting forming, thread rolling
Threads can be rolled on ETG®. However,
worms, trapezoidal threads, etc., should
be cut, not rolled.
Other non-cutting processes
Punching, bending, swaging, forging, etc.,
should not be carried out on ETG® 88
and ETG® 100.
19
Welding Surface finishing
ETG® 88/100 have a limited weldability. Most surface finishes can be applied to
Austenitic electrodes should be used and ETG® 88/100. For example, they can
it should be noted that the strength will be hot-galvanised, chromated, chromium-
decrease significantly. The fracture strength plated, nickel-plated or alkaline-black-
depends on the strength of the weld ened without difficulty. Due to the man-
metal. In order to avoid failures, we rec- ganese sulphide in the steel, special care
ommend carrying out tests before welding must be taken when pickling and neu-
the part itself. Best results are achieved tralising. The temperature at which surface
using tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding. finishing is carried out should not exceed
500 °C. Ground material is recommended.
– Welding procedure: tungsten inert gas For changes in mechanical properties, see
– Welding consumable: X15CrNiMn 18-8 diagram of strength values on page 14.
(1.4370)
– Preheat: 300 °C
– Tensile strength of the welded joint:
490 – 670 N /mm2
ETG® is not suitable for laser welding.
Brazing
ETG® can also be brazed, but with con-
sequent loss of strength. It must be
allowed to cool slowly, as there is a dan-
ger of stress cracks.
 20

Information for heat-treating

ETG® steels

The high strength of ETG® steels lies in Induction hardening (HF)

Hardness pattern
the range of tempered steels, which
means that in most cases no additional 700
heat treatment is necessary. If greater
abrasion resistance or fatigue strength is
needed, various surface hardening proc- 650
esses can be used. The high basic
strength guarantees a good underlying
structure and ideally fulfils the pre- 600
requisites for the following heat treatment
processes:
– Induction hardening (high frequency) 550
– Nitrocarburising
– Salt bath nitrocarburising
– Gas nitrocarburising 500
– Plasma nitrocarburising

Induction hardening (HF) 450

– Treatment temperature: 840 – 870 °C
– Quenching media: oil, polymer
– Achievable hardness: 50 – 55 HRC
´

400
Microhardness HV 0,3

The depth of hardening should be kept

to a minimum, generally not more 350
than 1 mm. For complicated parts, an
initial stress-relieving at 550–580°C is
recommended. Using water as a quench 300
medium results in higher hardness,
however there is a danger that quench 0 1 2 3 4

cracking will occur.

Distance from surface [mm] ´
22

Nitrocarburising
Hardness pattern

900

800

700

600

500

400
´
Microhardness HV 0.25

300

200

100

0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0

Distance from surface [mm] ´

The hardness of the white layer cannot be measured for technical reasons.
According to the literature, the hardness is approx. 1,000 HV.

Salt bath nitrocarburising
– Treatment temperature: 570 °C
– Treatment duration: 60 – 180 min
– The treatment time affects the thick-
ness of the hard compound layer.
– The usual treatment time is 90 min.
– Thickness of compound layer:
15 – 20 µm; the quenching medium
must be appropriate for the workpiece:
water (warm) for ø < 15 mm, oil for
larger workpieces.
The bath nitrocarburising process creates
an abrasion-resistant surface. It also
reduces notch sensitivity and increases
fatigue strength for reverse bending. Salt
bath nitrocarburising results in a loss of
substrate strength amounting to approx.
10%. After bath nitrocarburising, no more
machining can be carried out. For this
reason, if high dimensional accuracy is re-
quired, the workpiece must be stress-
relieved at 550 – 580 °C before final ma-
chining.
After bath nitrocarburising, it is advanta-
geous to remove salt residues from work-
piece surfaces by brushing.
The technical information contained in this document reflects current results obtained using generally
accepted testing procedures on production quantities. They do not give a guarantee of the suitability for
any particular application. The responsibility lies with the user.
© Steeltec AG, 07.07
Gas nitrocarburising
– Treatment temperature: 570 °C
– Treatment duration: 1 – 3 h
– Thickness of compound layer:
approx. 15 µm
– Quench medium: water, oil, gas
Pretreatment is the same as for bath
nitrocarburising. A similarly abrasion-
resistant surface is created. The process
results in a loss of substrate strength
amounting to approx. 10 %.
Plasma nitrocarburising
– Treatment temperature: 480 – 510 °C
– Treatment duration: 20 – 36 h
– Thickness of compound layer:
approx. 10 µm
This process – glow-discharge nitrocar-
burising in a vacuum – has produced
good results with ETG®. Due to the lower
treatment temperature, there is less
reduction in the core strength than with
salt bath or gas nitrocarburising.
23
Recommendations
– Avoid hardening over sharp edges,
keyways or lateral holes.
– Do not harden thin-walled components
through the full thickness of the wall.
– End faces or spherically shaped areas
should be stress-relieved at 180 – 200 °C
before hardening.
– With induction hardening, avoid hard-
ening to a depth greater than 1 mm.
– Like all rolled-and-drawn material,
ETG ® has a slightly decarburised
boundary zone, which means that the
hardening effect in this zone is re-
duced.
– When hardening gear wheels, the tooth
root should also be hardened to a
depth of 0.2 mm.
– Hardening of the drawn surfaces
should be avoided due to the possible
presence of surface imperfections. Due
to the notch effect, hardening stresses
at the imperfections can cause cracks.
– To avoid the occurrence of hardening
cracks due to hardening stresses,
the hardened components should be
tempered (200 °C, 1 h).
– There is less danger of hardness
cracks occurring in ETG® 88 than in
ETG® 100 due to its lower residual
stress.
– Depending on the nitrocarburising proc-
ess employed, tempering at 350 °C
for at least 2 h may be necessary to
remove the hydrogen that has been
introduced.
Depth of decarburised zone
(experimental values)
Dimension Decarburisation
Ø ≤ 20 mm max. 0.20 mm
Ø > 20 mm max. 0.40 mm
Steeltec AG
Postfach, CH-6021 Emmenbrücke
Telephone ++41 41 209 63 63, fax ++41 41 209 52 94
www.steeltec.ch

Group Companies

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