• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.681-686
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• 2006

Plasma nitrocarburising and plasma post oxidation were performed to improve the wear and corrosion resistance of S45C and SCM440 steel by a plasma ion nitriding system. Plasma nitrocarburizing was conducted for 3h at $570^{\circ}C$ in the nitrogen, hydrogen and methane atmosphere to produce the ${\varepsilon}-Fe_{2-3}$(N, C) phase. Plasma post oxidation was performed on the nitrocarburized samples with various oxygen/hydrogen ratio at constant temperature of $500^{\circ}C$ for 1 hour. The very thin magnetite ($Fe_3O_4$) layer $1-2{\mu}m$ in thickness on top of the $15{\sim}25{\mu}m$ ${\varepsilon}-Fe_{2-3}$(N, C) compound layer was obtained by plasma post oxidation. A salt spray test and electrochemical testing revealed that in the tested 5% NaCl solution, the corrosion characteristics of the nitrocarburized compound layer could be further improved by the application of the superficial magnetite layer. Throttle valve shafts were treated under optimum plasma processing conditions. Accelerated life time test results, using throttle body assembled with shaft treated by plasma nitrocarburising and post oxidation, showed that plasma nitrocarburizing and plasma post oxidation processes could be a viable technology in the very near future which can replace $Cr^{6+}$ plating.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.289-301
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• 1995

The effect of Air/$C_3H_8$ gas addition on the compound layer growth of steels nitrocarburised in $NH_3+Air+C_3H_8$ mixed gas atmospheres was investigated. It is considered that amount of residual $NH_3$ was varied according to alternation of Air/$C_3H_8$ mixing ratio and volume content. The compound layer formed from nitrocarburising was composed of ${\varepsilon}-Fe_{2-3}$(C, N) and ${\gamma}^{\prime}-Fe_4$(C, N). According as Air/$C_3H_8$ mixing ratio increased, the superficial content of ${\gamma}^{\prime}-Fe_4$(C, N) within the compound layer was increased, at the same time the growth rate of compound layer and porous layer was increased. In the case of alloy steel at the fixed gas composition, the growth rate of compound layer and porous layer was worse than carbon steel and compound layer phase composition structure primarily consisted of E phase. As the carbon content of materials was increasing in the given gas atmospheres, the growth rate of compound layer and porous layer was increased and the superficial content of ${\varepsilon}-Fe_{2-3}$(C, N) within the compound layer was increased.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.265-269
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• 2004

Plasma nitrocarburising and post oxidation were performed on SCM435 steel by a pulsed plasma ion nitriding system. Plasma oxidation resulted in the formation of a very thin ferritic oxide layer 1-2 $\mu\textrm{m}$ thick on top of a 15～25 $\mu\textrm{m}$ $\varepsilon$-F $e_{2-3}$(N,C) nitrocarburized compound layer. The growth rate of oxide layer increased with the treatment temperature and time. However, the oxide layer was easily spalled from the compound layer either for both oxidation temperatures above $450^{\circ}C$, or for oxidation time more than 2 hrs at oxidation temperature $400^{\circ}C$. It was confirmed that the relative amount of $Fe_2$$O_3$, compared with $e_3$$O_4$, increased rapidly with the oxidation temperature. The amounts of ${\gamma}$'-$Fe_4$(N,C) and $\theta$-$Fe_3$C, generated from dissociation from $\varepsilon$-$Fe_{2-3}$ /(N,C) phase during $O_2$ plasma sputtering, were also increased with the oxidation temperature.e.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.427-430
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• 2002

Plasma nitrocarburizing treatment was performed for SCM 435 steel by using a plasma ion nitriding system. The effects of the variation of nitrogen and methan contents upon the hardened layer was investigated. Both the thickness of the compound layer and the amount of $\varepsilon$ phase in the compound layer increased with increasing nitrogen content. However, the thickness of the compound layer decreased due to unstable plasma for an atmosphere containing 90% $N_2$ gas content in the gas mixture. The amount of $\varepsilon$phase in the compound layer increased with increasing $CH_4$ gas content. For $CH_4$ gas content more than 2% in the gas mixture, the thickness of the compound layer decreased due to the formation of $\theta$ phase.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.250-253
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• 2007

Plasma nitrocarburizing and plasma oxidizing treatments were performed to improve the wear and corrosion resistance of SKD 11 steel. Plasma nitrocarburizing was conducted for 12 h at $520^{\circ}C$ in the nitrogen, hydrogen and methane atmosphere to produce the $\varepsilon-Fe_{2-3}(N,C)$ phase. It was found that the compound layer produced by plasma nitrocarburising was predominantly composed of $\varepsilon-phase$, with a small proportion of $\gamma'-Fe_4(N,C)$ phase. The thickness of the compound layer was about $5{\mu}m$ and the diffusion layer was about $150{\mu}m$ in thickness, respectively. Plasma post oxidation was performed on the nitrocarburized samples with various oxygen/hydrogen ratio at constant temperature of $500^{\circ}C$ for 1 hour. The very thin magnetite($Fe_3O_4$) layer $1-2{\mu}m$ in thickness on top of the compound layer was obtained by plasma post oxidation. It was confirmed that the corrosion characteristics of the nitrocarburized compound layer could be further improved by the application of the superficial magnetite layer.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.436-441
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• 2000

Plasma nitrocarburising is a thermochemical heat treatment, and can be used for plain carbon steels and low alloy steels to improve wear, corrosion and fatigue resistance. The process is performed on automotive parts, machinery parts and engineering tools. However, it is still facing problems in obtaining a mono $\varepsilon$ phased compound layer. Therefore, the aim of this research is to investigate the possibility of forming a mono $\varepsilon$ phased compound layer using a gas mixture of nitrogen and methane. It was found that high nitrogen contents were essential for the production of $\varepsilon$ phase compound layer and with increasing methane content in the gas mixture, $\varepsilon$ phase compound layer was favoured. In addition, when the methane content was further increased, cementite was observed in the compound layer. $\gamma$' phase was produced after 10 minutes treatment time and cementite was formed in the compound layer resulting in decreasing the thickness of the compound layer.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.136-144
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• 1999

The study on the wear characteristics of compound layers formed during gaseous nitrocarburising in the medium carbon boron steels and the plain carbon steel has been carried out by using a pin-on-disc type wear test machine under the oil lubricating condition at room temperature and by varying applied loads, sliding speeds and wear distances. Values of friction coefficient measured at the sliding speed of 0.4m/sec under the oil lubricating condition have been shown to decrease considerably with increasing applied load and become gradually a constant value as load is increased to a higher value, showing that the transition load for friction coefficient appears at an applied load of 247.2N. The length and volume wear rates of compound layer have been revealed to relatively constantly increase, also showing that the wear life per unit thickness of compound layer turns out to be superior as porous layer has a denser and thinner appearance. As the sliding speed increases during wear test performed by varying sliding speed at a load of 63.2N under the oil lubricating condition for medium carbon boron steel nitrocarburised in gas atmosphere, the wear rate has been found to increase, the friction coefficient to decrease and the wear life per unit thickness of compound layer to decrease considerably.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.253-259
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• 2003

In this study, to find out the reason of deterioration in surface roughness of steel and cast iron after Tufftride, it has been investigated on the relation between the surface roughness and various factors such as the evolution of compound layer, surface morphology, and surface hardness, and change of pore ratio in the compound layer during Tufftride at $580^{\circ}C$. It is found that the surface roughness was increased with the evolution of compound layer during Tufftride of steel and cast iron. The change of surface roughness after Tufftride was reduced with decreasing tho content of carbon and cementite ($Fe_3C$) in the materials. in the cast irons, the various shaped graphites that was exposed to the surface should induce the discontinuous growth of the compound layer, and this resulted in the incoherent interfaces between matrix and compound layer and the deterioration of surface roughness. In the steels, the existence of cementites in the matrix resulted in the incoherent interfaces between matrix and compound layer. It is considered that during Tufftride the surface roughness must be mainly influenced by the formation of the incoherent interface between compound layer and matrix that is affected by some factors such as the microstructure, the composition, and the hardness of the matrix.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.305-314
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• 1998

This study has been performed to investigate into some effects of various amounts of $CO_2$ and CO gas added to the $50%NH_3-N_2$ based gas atmosphere on microstructure, hardness, chemical analysis and residual stress in the compound and diffusion layer of AISI H13 treated by gaseous nitrocarburising process. The compound layer formed in the surface is composed of mainly ${\varepsilon}-Fe_3$(N,C) and small amount of ${\gamma}^{\prime}-Fe_4N$ and cementite. The maximum hardness value obtainable from H13 steel is shown to be 1200 Hv and the effecvtive hardening depth increases with increasing CO content from 1% to 4%. In the case of CO content over 4%, however, it decreases with increasing CO content. The composition profiles of nitrogen and carbon are found to be within the ${\varepsilon}$-phase field located above the ${\varepsilon}+{\gamma}^{\prime}$ phase field in the Fe-N-C diagram. It is shown that the maximum value of compressive residual stress of H13 steel treated in atmospheres of $50%NH_3-(2,4)%CO_2-N_2-CO$ gas mixture is $48kg/mm^2$ and the depth to which residual stress is in Compressive state is $90{\mu}m$ for the atmosphere $50%NH_3-45%N_2-4%CO_2-1%CO$ gas mixture. It is consequently important to control the maximum value and size of compressive residual stress region in order to obtain desirable mechanical properties.