20CrMnTi carburized steel is widely used in the manufacturing of gear transmission components. Gears often operate under complex working conditions that involve high pressure and temperature, and intermittent alternating loads. The material is frequently subjected to repeated compression and resilience cycles, which significantly affect dimensional accuracy and stability. This study investigates the influence of different temperatures and pressures on the compression resilience properties and microhardness of 20CrMnTi steel. The results indicate that temperature and pressure lead to a nonlinear increase in the compression curve, reduce resilience properties and the microhardness of the carburized layer, and affect the microhardness of the matrix. Microstructural analysis indicated that plastic deformation, carbide coarsening, and a lower elastic modulus led to the enlarged compression and diminished microhardness in the carburized layer. Work hardening, dynamic recrystallization, and plastic deformation in the matrix material weaken resilience properties and influence the distribution of microhardness in the matrix.

The integrity of sealing systems in key energy and chemical industry equipment heavily depends on flange gaskets. In practice, complex operating conditions compromise the compressive-resilience behavior of flange gaskets, a process that may perhaps culminate in sealing failure. Therefore, this study conducted hot compression experiments on 304 austenitic stainless steel, aiming to investigate the effects of compressive stress and temperature on the compressive-resilience properties of gaskets. The experiments were performed with applied compressive stresses of 35, 50, and 65 MPa at temperatures of 100, 300, and 500 °C. The results indicate that under a compressive stress of 65 MPa at 500 °C, the specimen exhibits a maximum compression rate of 9.84% and a minimum resilience rate of 22.17%. Based on microstructural analyses, the underlying mechanisms are elucidated. The elastic compression stage is primarily governed by Hooke’s law, where greater compressive stress leads to increased deformation, and higher temperatures result in a lower elastic modulus, which in turn contributes to greater deformation. Unexpectedly, the compressed specimen failed to resilience completely. This is mainly because compressive stress leads to work hardening, plastic deformation, and phase transformation, while the temperature increase further induces plastic deformation, collectively weakening the material’s elastic recovery. Thus, it can be classified as quasi-elastic compression by strict definition.