Process for producing inner race for constant velocity joint having improved workability and strength

A process for producing an inner race for a constant velocity joint having improved workability and strength properties, said process comprising the steps of:

• providing a steel comprising by weight carbon (C):
• 10 to 0.25%, silicon (Si):
• 0.03 to 0.15%, manganese (Mn):
• 0.20 to 0.60%, sulfur (S):
• 0.003 to 0.030%, chromium (Cr):
• 1.00 to 1.50%, titanium (Ti):
• 0.05 to 0.20%, boron (B):
• 0.0005 to 0.0050%, and nitrogen (N):
• not more than 0.01% with the balance consisting of iron (Fe) and inevitable impurities;
• hot rolling or hot forging the steel, and optionally subjecting the steel to softening heat treatment, to prepare a rolled/forged product having a Rockwell hardness of not more than 75 HRB;
• cold forging and machining the rolled/forged product to impart a shape of the inner race for a constant velocity joint;
• and
• carburizing, quenching, and tempering the machined rolled/forged product so that the treated steel satisfies an effective case depth of 0.4 to 0.9 mm, a thickness of abnormal-carburizing layer of not more than 15 μm, and an austenite grain size number as specified in JIS G 0551 of not less than 7, said effective case depth being defined as the distance from the surface of the steel to the position of the steel in its depth direction where the Vickers hardness is HV 550.