Abstract
Recently, as the interest in improving energy efficiency has grown, the demand for vehicle and machine parts that are resistant in high temperature corrosive conditions and abrasive environments has increased. Pack chromizing treatment of sintered steels is a profitable method that satisfies both corrosion resistance and low friction properties. Since austenitic stainless steels have good corrosion resistance but low mechanical hardness, if they are replaced by sintered steel parts with pack chromizing treatment, all the desirable properties such as low price, easy molding, high hardness, low frictional coefficient, and high corrosion resistance, can be obtained. The higher corrosion resistance of the chromized parts over that of the austenitic stainless steels was acquired by coating chromium carbides and a thin chromium oxides layer on the surface. Moreover, the surface morphology of chromized parts, which were composed of chromium rich phases and hardened chromium carbides by diffusing and alloying, had a peak-and-valley shape so that the dimple effect by the wrinkled morphology and high hardness induced a low friction coefficient.