• 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 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 Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.81-88
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• 2001

The effects of post-oxidation and sulfnitriding treatments on the phase transformation in the nitrided case of tool steels have been studied. Dense and compact $Fe_3O_4$ layer was formed at the outer surface of nitride compound layer by post-oxidation treatment and multi layer of iron sulfide(FeS) was formed in the compound layer by sulfnitriding treatment. The surface hardness decreased because of formation of the soft oxide or sulfide at the nitride surface. Diffusion layer of nitride case was not affected by post-oxidation treatment or sulfnitriding treatment of nitrided alloy tool steels.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.766-770
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• 2006

The frictional behavior of oxide films on top of the plasma nitrocarburized compound layers was investigated in terms of post-oxidation treatment temperatures. The post-oxidation treatment at both temperatures($400^{\circ}C,\;500^{\circ}C$) produced magnetite($Fe_3O_4$) films which led to a significant enhancement in corrosion resistance. However, this process did not result in any improvement in frictional behavior of the nitrocarburized surface. The wear mechanisms were governed predominantly by the abrasive action of the slider on the surface irrespective of the counterface material(SiC and Bearing steel). When the specimen was sliding against a SiC counterface, the oxide films were destroyed during the early stage of the sliding process and the wear debris of the oxide film at the sliding track had a great influence on the friction coefficient. On the other hand, when sliding against a bearing steel counterface, the slider was mainly worn out due to the much higher hardness of the surface hardened layer. The fluctuation of the friction coefficient of $400^{\circ}C$-oxidized/ nitrocarburized specimen is much severer than that of $500^{\circ}C$ specimen, due to the less amount of wear debris.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.90-95
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• 2006

Nitriding or carburizing of carbon steels results in good mechanical properties such as high surface hardness and wear resistance but it has no affection on the corrosion resistance. Corrosion properties of nitriding and carburizing steels could be deteriorated. So, recently, there have been great demand for oxi-nitriding to enhance both mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. In this study, the corrosion resistance of carbon steel, S35C, and free cutting steel, SUM222, are prepared by vacuum nitriding and vacuum post-oxidation were compared with those treated by nitriding. After vacuum post-oxidation, $5{\mu}m$ oxide layer was formed on the nitride layer with $20{\sim}30{\mu}m$ depth. Potentio-dynamic polarization curve in corrosion test showed that the corrosion potential after post oxidation was increased from 200 mV to 800 mV in S35C and from 600 mV to 1200 mV in SUM222. SEM analyses showed that pores was increased and surface roughness became rougher with post oxidation. However, the formation of $Fe_3O_4$ resulted in the enhanced corrosion resistance of steels.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.103-109
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• 2001

Plasma nitrocarburising and post oxidation were performed on SM45C steel using a plasma nitriding unit. Nitrocarburising was carried out with various methane gas compositions with 4 torr gas pressure at $570^{\circ}C$ for 3 hours and post oxidation was carried out with 100% oxygen gas atmosphere with 4 torr at different temperatures for various times. It was found that the compound layer produced by plasma nitrocarburising consisted of predominantly ${\varepsilon}-Fe_{2-3}(N,C)$ and a small proportion of ${\gamma}-Fe_4(N,C)$. 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. The very thin oxide layer on top of the compound layer was obtained by post oxidation. The formation of Oxide phase was initially started from the magnetite($Fe_3O_4$) and with increasing oxidation time, the oxide phase was increased. With increasing oxidation temperature, oxide phase was increased. However the oxide layer was split from the compound layer at high temperature. Corrosion resistance was slightly influenced by oxidation times and temperatures.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.24-28
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• 2005

New post plasma nitriding can achieve a high uniformity that have been difficult in DC nitriding and have a high productivity comparable to gas nitriding. However, it has not a enough high nitriding potential for a rapid nitriding, because surface activation or ion etching in the general plasma nitriding cannot be expected. Thus, in this study, the effects of pre-treatments with oxidation and reduction gas have been investigated to improve the nitriding kinetics of post plasma nitriding. An effective pre-treatment consisting of oxidation and reduction resulted in the increase of surface energy of STD 11. This induced the surface hardness and the effective nitriding depth of STD 11. It is thought that the increase of the surface energy and the surface area with pre-treatment promote the nucleation of nitriding layer.

• 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.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.117-128
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• 1999

This study was carried out to investigate the surface characteristics of SCM440 steel nitrided with various nitrogen contents for 7 hours at $520^{\circ}C$ by using micro-pulse plasma nitriding apparatus of hot wall type. The effects of oxidation treatment was also investigated on plasma nitrided in 30% nitrogen and post oxidized SCM440 steel at $500^{\circ}C$ in $H_2O$ atmosphere. The ${\gamma}^{\prime}-Fe_4N$ and ${\varepsilon}-Fe_{2-3}N$ phases were detected in compound layer of the nitrided steel. As the content of nitrogen in plasma gas increased with 30, 50, 70% on the micro-pulse plasma nitriding for SCM440 steel, the thickness of compound, diffusion layer and the surface hardness were increased. From the wear test results, the best wear resistance was appeared in the condition of ductile ${\gamma}^{\prime}-Fe_4N$ phase formed specimen at 30% nitrogen, whereas that of the treated with 50% and 70% nitrogen decreased owing to the exfoliation of brittle ${\varepsilon}-Fe_{2-3}N$ phase in the compound layer. On the nitrided and subsequently oxidized SCM440 steel, the surface layer consisted of $Fe_3O_4$, ${\gamma}^{\prime}-Fe_4N$, and ${\varepsilon}-Fe_{2-3}N$ phases. In these treatments, the dissolution of nitrides affect hardness and hardening depth in compound and diffusion layers. For the nitrided in 30% nitrogen and post oxidized specimen at $500^{\circ}C$ for 1 hour, the wear resistance was lower than that of the only nitrided one in 30% nitrogen but higher than those of the nitrided ones in 50 and 70% nitrogen.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Surface Engineering Conference
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• 2006.10a
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• pp.35-35
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• 2006