Influence of heat treatment process on the service performance of 51CrV4 steel journal box spring for high-speed trains was investigated,the optimal heat treatment process was determined,and the tensile properties,impact properties and fatigue strength evolution of the 51CrV4 spring after quenching at 840-900 ℃ and tempering at 380-520 ℃ were analyzed.The service performance evaluation method for the 51CrV4 steel journal box spring based on material fatigue limit was established,and the influence of heat treatment process on the critical service load of springs was studied.The results show that with the increase of quenching temperature,the tensile strength and fatigue strength of the 51CrV4 spring steel increase.With the increase of tempering temperature,the tensile strength decreases,but the toughness increases.The tensile strength subjected to lower quenching temperature and higher tempering temperature is lower than that of the standard TB/T 2211-2018,and the impact absorbed energy at lower tempering temperature is close to the lower limit of the standard.Considering the mechanical and service properties of the 51CrV4 steel spring,the optimum heat treatment processes of 900 ℃ quenching+460-480 ℃tempering and 880 ℃ quenching+460 ℃ tempering are recommended.