Optimization of Inner Nitriding Process for Cr-Mo-V Steel of Small Arms Barrel by using Taguchi Experimental Design Method

When shooting small arms, the inner surface temperature is heated up to about $700{\sim}1,000^{\circ}C$ by the friction of the bullet and the inner wall of the barrel and the combustion of propellant. High-temperature propellant gas and high-speed movement of the bullet cause corrosion of the inner wall, which is noticeable immediately in front of the chamber. In this study, the mechanical properties of Cr-Mo-V steel, which is the base material, were tested using Taguchi experimental design to find the best nitriding treatment conditions. For the nitriding process, the working time, salt bath temperature, and salt concentration were combined as three conditions and placed in the $L_9(3^4)$, orthogonal array table. The thicknesses of the white layer and the nitrogen diffusion layer were measured after nitriding under each condition in a salt bath furnace. Durability was evaluated by measuring the degree of dispersion through actual shooting because it was difficult to evaluate the mechanical properties of the cylinder inner structure. As a result, it was confirmed that the durability was optimal at $565^{\circ}C$, 1 hour, 0.5%. These optimal conditions were selected by the statistical analysis of the Minitab program(ver.17).

다구찌 실험계획법을 이용한 소구경화기 총열 내부용 Cr-Mo-V강의 질화공정 최적화