• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.47 no.11
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• pp.716-721
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• 2009

The major drive for the application of low-temperature plasma treatment in nitrocarburizing of austenitic stainless steels lies in improved surface hardness without degraded corrosion resistance. The low-temperature plasma nitrocarburizing was performed in a gas mixture of $N_{2}$, $H_{2}$, and carbon-containing gas such as $CH_{4}$ at $450^{\circ}C$. The influence of the processing time (5~30 h) and $N_{2}$ gas composition (15~35%) on the surface properties of the nitrocarburized layer was investigated. The resultant nitrocarburized layer was a dual-layer structure, which was comprised of a N-enriched layer (${\gamma}_N$) with a high nitrogen content on top of a C-enriched layer (${\gamma}_C$) with a high carbon content, leading to a significant increase in surface hardness. The surface hardness reached up to about $1050HV_{0.01}$, which is about 4 times higher than that of the untreated sample ($250HV_{0.01}$). The thickness of the hardened layer increased with increasing treatment time and $N_{2}$ gas level in the atmosphere and reached up to about $25{\mu}m$. In addition, the corrosion resistance of the treated samples without containing $Cr_{2}N$ precipitates was enhanced than that of the untreated samples due to a high concentration of N on the surface. However, longer treatment time (25% $N_{2}$, 30 h) and higher $N_{2}$ gas composition (35% $N_{2}$, 20 h) resulted in the formation of $Cr_{2}N$ precipitates in the N-enriched layer, which caused the degradation of corrosion resistance.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.268-274
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• 1997

Characteristics of plasma nitriding and nitrocarburizing for steam treated sintered steels were studied. Fe-0.8%C powder containing Ni, Cu were sintered at 112$0^{\circ}C$ and steamed at 52$0^{\circ}C$. Temperature of plasma nitriding and nitrocarburizing was varied from 50$0^{\circ}C$ to $600^{\circ}C$. Gas mixture of nitriding was set at $N_2$ : $H_2$ =80:20 (vol.%), but $CH_4gas$ was added 1~2 vol.% for nitrocarburizing. Steam treatment for sintered steels brought not only the formation of oxide layer but also decarburizing near the surface. Decrease in hardness near the surface resulted from the formation of ferrite due to decarburizing. Thus, the low hardness was recovered not with plasma nitriding but with plasma nitrocarburixing. Wear resistance properties of steamed specimens and ni-trocarburized specimens were better than those of nitrided specimens according to the pin-on-disk wear test. On the other hand, the fatigue life of steamed specimen was shorter than that of nitrocaiburized specimen.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.47 no.10
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• pp.629-634
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• 2009

The effects of processing parameters on the surface properties of the hardened layers processed by the low temperature plasma nitrocarburizing and the low temperature two-step plama treatment (carburizing+nitriding) were investigated. The nitrogen-enriched expanded austenite structure (${\gamma}_N$) or S phase was formed on all of the treated surface. The surface hardness reached up to 1200 $HV_{0.025}$, which is about 5 times higher than that of untreated sample (250 $HV_{0.1}$). The thickness of hardened layer of the low temperature plasma nitrocarburized layer treated at $400^{\circ}C$ for 40 hour was only $15{\mu}m$, while the layer thicknesss in the two-step plama treatment for the 30 hour treatment increased up to about $30{\mu}m$. The surface thickness and hardness increased with increasing treatment temperature and time. In addition, the corrosion resistance was enhanced than untreated samples due to a high concentration of N on the surface. However, higher treatment temperature and longer treatment time resulted in the formation of $Cr_2N$ precipitates, which causes the degradation of corrosion resistance.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Surface Engineering Conference
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• 2012.11a
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• pp.175-177
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• 2012

A corrosion resistance and hard nitrocarburized layer was distinctly formed on 310 austenitic stainless steel substrate by DC plasma nitrocarburizing. Basically, 310L austenitic stainless steel has high chromium and nickel content which is applicable for high temperature applications. In this experiment, plasma nitrocarburizing was performed in a D.C. pulsed plasma ion nitriding system at different temperatures in $H_2-N_2-CH_4$ gas mixtures. After the experiment structural phases, micro-hardness and corrosion resistance were investigated by the optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, micro-hardness testing and Potentiodynamic polarization tests. The hardness of the samples was measured by using a Vickers micro hardness tester with the load of 100 g. XRD indicated a single expanded austenite phase was formed at all treatment temperatures. Such a nitrogen and carbon supersaturated layer is precipitation free and possesses a high hardness and good corrosion resistance.

• Journal of Surface Science and Engineering
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.43-52
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• 2020

Various aging treatments were conducted on AISI 630 martensitic precipitation hardening stainless steel in order to optimize aging condition. Aging treatment was carried out in the vacuum chamber of Ar gas with changing aging temperature from 380℃ to 430℃ and aging time from 2h to 8h at 400℃. After obtaining the optimized aging condition, several nitrocarburizing treatments were done without and with the aging treatment. Nitrocarburizing was performed on the samples with a gas mixture of H₂, N₂ and CH₄ for 15 h at vacuum pressure of 4.0 Torr and discharge voltage of 400V. The corrosion resistance was improved noticeably by combined process of aging and nitrocarburizing treatment, which is attributed to higher chromium and nitrogen content in the passive layer, as confirmed by XPS analysis. The optimized condition is finalized as, 4h aging at 400℃ and then subsequent nitrocarburizing at 400℃ with 25% nitrogen and 4% methane gas for 15h at vacuum pressure of 4.0 Torr and discharge voltage of 400V, resulting in the surface hardness of around 1300 HV_0.05 and α'_N layer thickness of around 11 ㎛ respectively.

• Journal of Surface Science and Engineering
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.221-226
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• 2014

A low temperature plasma nitrocarburizng was implemented on the duplex stainless steel to achieve the enhancement of surface hardness without degradation of its corrosion resistance. Attempts were made to investigate the influence of Pulse frequency and Duty factor of pulsed power in a high Pulse frequency regime on the surface characteristics of the hardened layer. The hardened layer (S-phase) was formed on all of the treated surfaces. Surface hardness reached up to 1300 $HV_{0.1}$ which is about 4.6 times higher than that of the untreated material (280 $HV_{0.1}$). The thickness of the hardened layer tends to increase lightly with the higher Pulse frequency and the higher Duty factor. The corrosion resistance of nitrocarburized duplex stainless steel was almost similar to that of the untreated material. Both the Pulse frequency and the Duty factor do not have a significant influence on the corrosion property of plasma treated duplex stainless steel.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.87-93
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• 2004

Nitrocarburizing was carried out with various $CH_4$ gas composition with 4 torr gas pressure at $570^{\circ}C$ for 3 hours and post oxidation was carried out with 100% $O_2$ gas atmosphere with 4 torr at different temperatures for various time. In the case of plasma nitrocarburizing, It is that the ratio of ${\varepsilon}-Fe_{2-3}$(N, C) and ${\gamma}^{\prime}-Fe_4$(C, N), which comprise the compound layer phase, depend on concentrations of $N_2$ gas and $CH_4$ such that when the concentration of $N_2$ and $CH_4$ increased, the ratio of ${\gamma}^{\prime}-Fe_4$(C, N) decreased, but the ratio of ${\varepsilon}-Fe_{2-3}$(N, C) increased. The thickness of compound layer consistently increased as gas concentration increased regardless of $N_2$ and $CH_4$ expect when the concentration of $CH_4$ was 3.5 volume%, it decreased insignificantly. When oxidizing for 15min in the temperature range of $460{\sim}570{^\circ}C$, the study found small amount of $Fe_3O_4$ at the temperature of $460{^\circ}C$ and also found that amounts of $Fe_2O_3$. and $Fe_3O_4$ on the surface and amount of ${\gamma}^{\prime}-Fe_4$(C, N) in the compound layer increased as the increased over $460^{\circ}C$, but the thickness of the compound layer decreased. Corrosion resistance was influenced by oxidation times and temperature.

• Journal of Surface Science and Engineering
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.54-61
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• 2018

Plasma Nitriding treatment was performed on STS 204Cu stainless steel samples at a temperature of $400^{\circ}C$ for 15 hours with varying $N_2$ content as 10%, 15% and 25%. Regardless of the content of $N_2$, S-Phase which is a hardened layer of Nitrogen (N) supersaturated phase, was formed in the surface of plasma treated samples. When $N_2$ content was 25%, the thickness of the hardened layer reached up to about $7{\mu}m$ and the surface hardness reached a value of $560Hv_{0.05}$, which is about 2.5 times higher than that of untreated sample (as received $220Hv_{0.05}$). From potentiodynamic polarization test, it was observed that compared to as received sample, the corrosion potential and the corrosion current density of the plasma treated samples were decreased regardless of the $N_2$ content, but the corrosion resistance was not increased much due to the precipitation of $Cr_2N$. On the other hand, pitting potential of the samples treated with 10% and 15% $N_2$ was higher than that of as received sample, however, the samples treated with 25% exhibited a lower pitting potential. Therefore, 10% $N_2$ content was selected as optimum plasma nitriding condition and to further increase both the thickness and surface hardness and the corrosion resistance of the hardened layer, different $CH_4$ content such as 1%, 3% and 5% was introduced into the plasma nitriding atmosphere. With 1% $CH_4$, the thickness of the hardened layer reached up to about $11{\mu}m$ and the surface hardness was measured as about $620Hv_{0.05}$, which is about 2.8 times that of as received sample. And the corrosion resistance of the plasma treated sample by using 1% $CH_4$ was improved significantly due to much higher pitting potential, and lower corrosion current density. When the $CH_4$ content was more than 1%, the thickness and surface hardness of the hardened layer decreased slightly and the corrosion resistance also decreased.