The present invention relates to a high-strength coil spring useful for an
engine and other high-strength springs requiring a high fatigue-resistance
and a method of producing the same.
In general, a higher tensile strength is desired for spring materials but
it has been known that if a tensile strength exceeds a certain limit, a
toughness and a fatigue resistance are contrarily reduced.
In addition, a coil spring has been used after forming and then being
subjected to a quenching treatment followed by being subjected to a shot
peening treatment to add a compressive residual stress to a surface
thereof but an effective shot peening treatment gives a surface roughness
Rmax of 6 to 20 .mu.m, so that not only it has been impossible to remove
surface defects having a surface roughness of 6 to 20 .mu.m or less but
also impressions due to the shot peening have covered the surface defects
to be turned into injured portions and fatigue nuclei in many cases.
In view of the above description, the present invention has found a
high-strength coil spring with high fatigue resistance using a clean steel
wire, such as chromium-vanadium steel wire and chromium-silicon steel
wire, by forming it in the shape of a spring, quenching and tempering at
lower temperatures to heighten the tensile strength, and being subjected
to a shot peening treatment followed by being subjected to an electrolytic
polishing treatment, which does not exert a bad influence on fatigue
resistance, to remove surface defects and a method of producing the same.