1.8550 (34CrAlNi7-10) Material Data Sheet

Nitriding Steel for Highly Stressed Components

Material grade 1.8550 (34CrAlNi7-10) is a high-quality alloyed nitriding steel according to DIN EN 10085, specifically developed for components subject to high wear loads. It is considered one of the most powerful nitriding steels used in mechanical engineering. Thanks to its excellent nitriding capability, it achieves an extremely hard and wear-resistant surface layer while maintaining a tough core. This combination provides high surface hardness, outstanding wear resistance, and reliable performance even under continuous stress. As a result, 1.8550 is the ideal choice for demanding, safety-critical, and highly stressed components in mechanical and plant engineering as well as in the automotive industry.

Properties of 1.8550

Nitriding steel 1.8550 is characterized by a well-balanced property profile:

• Very high wear resistance after nitriding
• High surface hardness (up to approx. 950 HV / ~68 HRC)
• Tough core after quenching and tempering
• Good fatigue strength and load-bearing capacity
• Good machinability in the soft-annealed condition
• Low distortion during nitriding
• Limited weldability

The targeted alloying with chromium, aluminum, nickel, and molybdenum results in a material that offers excellent mechanical and thermal resistance.

Applications

Due to its properties, 1.8550 is primarily used for heavily stressed components, including:

• Mechanical engineering (highly loaded structural parts)
• Automotive industry (e.g., transmission components, shafts)
• Plastics processing (screws and barrels)
• Drive technology (gears and pinion shafts)
• Engine construction (camshafts and piston rods)
• Tool and mold making

This material is particularly suitable wherever a hard, wear-resistant surface combined with a tough core is required.

1.8550 Material data sheet Download

Heat Treatment and Nitriding

Material grade 1.8550 is specifically designed for nitriding. During this process, nitrogen is diffused into the surface layer, forming hard nitrides.

Typical Process Parameters

• Quenching and tempering: approx. 850–890 °C
• Tempering: approx. 570–660 °C
• Nitriding: approx. 500–540 °C

Nitriding provides:

• Extremely high surface hardness
• Excellent wear and corrosion resistance
• Minimal dimensional changes compared to other hardening processes

Mechanical Properties

• Tensile strength: approx. 900–1050 N/mm²
• Hardness (quenched and tempered): approx. 300 HB
• Elongation at break: approx. 11%
• Modulus of elasticity (E-modulus): approx. 190 GPa

These properties make the material ideal for dynamically loaded and wear-critical applications.

Advantages of 1.8550 at a Glance

• Optimized for nitriding processes
• Very long service life under wear conditions
• Combination of a hard surface and a tough core
• Good dimensional stability during heat treatment
• Wide range of applications in mechanical engineering

Processing Note

Due to its alloy composition, this material has limited weldability and is therefore primarily used for machined and heat-treated components.

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The processing with the saw is a mechanical processing of the material, which results in a significantly lower unintended deformation and increased hardness for the existing structure, such as the thermal cutting.

Thus, the machined workpiece has a homogeneous structure even at the edge, which does not change in the continuation of the material.

This circumstance allows immediate finishing of the workpiece with milling or drilling . So it is not necessary to anneal the material or make a similar operation beforehand.