• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
• /
• v.43 no.5
• /
• pp.211-216
• /
• 2010

Vacuum carburizing process is well known process for its environment-friendly, low-cost, high-quality characteristics, compared with gas carburizing. In this study, a research was carried out to develop a process of vacuum carburizing for essential components of automotive transmission that is difficult to control its distortion. As a result, vacuum carburizing process is superior to gas carburizing in terms of cost, environment and quality.

• Proceedings of the Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute Conference
• /
• 2006.09b
• /
• pp.1018-1021
• /
• 2006

Powdered metal parts and components may be carburized successfully in a vacuum furnace by combining carburizing technology $VacCarb^{TM}$ with a hi-tech control system. This approach is different from traditional carburizing methods, because vacuum carburizing is a non-equilibrium process. It is not possible to set the carbon potential as in a traditional carburizing atmosphere and control its composition in order to obtain a desired carburized case. This paper presents test results that demonstrate that vacuum carburizing system $VacCarb^{TM}$ carburized P.M. materials faster than traditional steel with acceptable results. In the experiments conducted, PM samples with the lowest density and open porosity showed a dramatic increase in the surface carbon content up to 2.5%C and a 3 times deeper case. Currently the boost-diffusion technique is applied to control the surface carbon content and distribution in the case. In the first boost step, the flow of the carburizing gas has to be sufficient to saturate the austenite, while avoiding soot deposition and formation of massive carbides. To accomplish this goal, the proper gas flow rate has to be calculated. In the case of P.M. parts, more carbon can be absorbed by the part's surface because of the additional internal surface area created by pores present in the carburized case. This amount will depend on the density of the part, the densification grade of the surface layer and the stage of the surface. "as machined" or "as sintered". It is believed that enhanced gas diffusion after initial evacuation of the P.M. parts leads to faster carburization from within the pores, especially when pores are open . surface "as sintered" and interconnected . low density. A serious problem with vacuum carburizing is delivery of the carbon in a uniform manner to the work pieces. This led to the development of the different methods of carburizing gas circulation such as the pulse/pump method or the pulse/pause technique applied in SECO/WARWICK's $VacCarb^{TM}$ Technology. In both cases, each pressure change may deliver fresh carburizing atmosphere into the pores and leads to faster carburization from within the pores. Since today's control of vacuum carburizing is based largely on empirical results, presented experiments may lead to better understanding and improved control of the process.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
• /
• v.15 no.6
• /
• pp.269-271
• /
• 2002

For the investigation of the hardness profiles and distortion characteristics of SCM415 steel, test pieces of SCM415 steel were gas and vacuum carburizing treated. The hardness profiles and distortion characteristics of vacuum and gas carburized SCM415 steel show different results. Vacuum carburizing can offer more improved hardness profiles than alternate methods of carburizing. Compared to alternate methods of carburizing, vacuum carburizing can offer improved mechanical properties and reduced cycle times of the process.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
• /
• v.27 no.7
• /
• pp.877-882
• /
• 2003

The main objective of the present study is to analyze the heat transfer characteristics in the vacuum carburizing furnace. Local temperatures are measured at different locations in the self-fabricated furnace for various operating conditions using K-type thermocouples. In addition, the present study simulates the fluid flows and heat transfer in the vacuum carburizing furnace using a commercial package (Fluent V. 6.0), and compares the predictions of local temperatures with experimental data. The temperature and flow fields are predicted. It is found that the time taken for reaching the steady-state temperature under the vacuum pressure is shorter than that under the normal pressure condition. It means that the carburizing furnace under vacuum pressure condition is capable of saving the required energy more efficiently than the furnace under the normal pressure condition. Furthermore, the temperature variations predicted by the numerical simulations are in good agreement with experimental data.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
• /
• v.5 no.1
• /
• pp.32-40
• /
• 1992

This content is a part of the results of the study on the development of the vacuum carburizing technology. In this study the vacuum carburizing furnace being used was the furnace that developed through the joint project between KIMM and Kyung-Pook Heat Treating Co. from June 1988 to Nov. 1990. And the used carburizing gas was the propane gas and the introducing methods of the gas applied two methods such as pulse and constant pressure. By this study we established the basis of the furnace manufacturing technology and of the processing technology in the vacuum carburizing. Above all in this work there are notable meanings in a viewpoint of the foremost research in home. Hereafter, we are going to industrialize the vacuum carburizing technology by improving the results of the present work and by developing the process for the mass production.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
• /
• v.56 no.1
• /
• pp.94-103
• /
• 2023

The effects of carburizing pressure and gas ratio on vacuum carburizing properties (uniformity and surface characteristics) have been studied through the analyses of carbon concentration, hardness, surface color, surface roughness and type of carbon bonding. AISI 4115 steel specimens were carburized with various pressures (1, 5, and 10 Torr) at different locations (P₁, P₂, P₃, P₄, P₅, and P₆) inside a furnace held at 950 ℃. Since the carburizing pressure represents the density of the carburizing gas, it plays an important role in improving the carburizing uniformity according to locations in the furnace. As the carburizing pressure increased, the carburizing uniformity according to the sample location was improved, but the surface of the carburized specimen was discolored due to the residual acetylene gas, which does not contribute to the carburizing reaction. Therefore, the carburizing uniformity and surface discoloration have been improved by injecting acetylene gas (carburizing gas) and nitrogen gas (non-reactive gas) in a specific ratio.

• 한국연소학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2004.11a
• /
• pp.231-237
• /
• 2004

Vacuum carburizing continues to gain acceptance as an alternative to atmosphere carburizing particularly in the car industry. The advantages of low-pressure carburization over atmospheric gas carburization is not only the creation of a surface entirely free of oxide and the environmentally friendly nature of these methods but also an improvement in deformation behaviour achieved by combining carburization with gas quenching, a reduction in batch times by increasing the carburization temperature, low gas and energy consumption and the prevention of soot to a large extent. In present study, an improved vacuum carburizing method is provided which is effective to deposit carbon in the surface of materials and to reduce cycle time. Also LPC process simulator was made to optimize to process controls parameters such as pulse/pause cycles of pressure pattern, temperature, carburizing time, diffusion time. The carburizing process was simulated by a diffusion calculation program, where as the model parameters are proposed with help the experimental results and allows the control of the carburizing process with good accordance to the practical results. Thus it can be concluded that LPC process control method based on the theoretical simulation and experimental datas appears to provide a reasonable tool for prototype LPC system.

• 한국연소학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2003.12a
• /
• pp.109-113
• /
• 2003

Low pressure or vacuum carburizing(LPC) has undergone major further developments since 1980 and now it has achieved industrial maturity. The advantage of low pressure vacuum carburizing over gas carburizing is not only the creation of surface entirely free of oxide and environmentally friendly but also a reduction in batch times, lower gas and energy consumption and the prevention of soot. In this study the experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of vacuum atmosphere in the heating furnace. Heat transfer rate and uniformity of temperatures of test samples in the pressure range of a few 0.1torr was examined on a test charge of 100kg. It is found that the fuel saving rate due to decreasing heating time reach to 20% in the vacuum heating mode as compared with atmospheric heating mode. Also the uniformity of temperatures in the samples was improved significantly in the vacuum heating mode. Also the effects of the RC fan for stirring atmosphere inside furnace was examined. Results shows RC fan appears to provide a reasonable tool for improving uniformity of temperature in the atmospheric heating mode.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
• /
• v.34 no.6
• /
• pp.272-280
• /
• 2021

The influence of acetylene flow rates on the carburizing behavior of an AISI 4115 steel in 1 ton-class mass production-type vacuum carburizing furnace has been studied through microstructure, carbon concentration, hardness analyses. The AISI 4115 steels were carburized with various flow rates (20, 32.7, 60 l/min) and locations in the furnace (top, center, bottom) at 950℃. The acetylene flow rate played an important role in controlling the carburizing properties of carburized samples, such as effective case depth and uniformity carburizing according to location in the furnace. At an acetylene flow rate of 20 l/min, the carburized samples had a shallow average hardened layer (0.645 mm) compared to the target hardening depth (1 mm) due to low carbon flux and spatial uniformity of carburization (17.8%) in the furnace. At a flow rate of 60 l/min, the carburized samples showed an average hardened layer (1.449 mm) deeper than the target hardening depth and had the spatial uniformity of carburization (98.8%). In particular, at a flow rate of 32.7 l/min, the carburized samples had an average hardened layer (1.13 mm) close to the target hardening depth and had the highest carburizing uniformity (99.1%). As a result, an appropriate flow rate of 32.7 l/min was derived to satisfy the target hardening depth and to have spatial uniform hardened layer in the furnace.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
• /
• v.3 no.3
• /
• pp.13-20
• /
• 1990

SCM 21 and D.P steel were carburized in vacuum using prophane at a temperature ranging from 1228k to 1308k under a gas pressure ranging from 21.3kpa to 61.8kpa, and the following results were obrained. 1) D.P. steel has considerable efficiency in depressing the grain growth during the high temperature carburizing and it has fine structure even at 1268k for 14.4ks when carburizied. Therefore this steel is expected to be suitable for vacuum carburizing at a high temperature. 2) Case depth was increased as the carburizing temperature increases and it was 3.2mm at max, temperature of 1308k, for max, time of 14.4ks and under max, pressure of 61.8kpa. Thus vacuum-carburizing was considered effective for the materials which need case depth, which is necessary for machine structure use. 3) The rate of case depth of SCM 21 was faster than D.P. steel under same carburizing conditions and the increasing rate of the case depth was constant. 4) Case depth was increased as the gas pressure becomes high under same carburizing temperature. 5) Case carbon concentration, $C_s$, of SCM 21 obeys to a formula, $$C_s=kt^{1/2}+C_0$$ Where k is $2.15{\times}10^{-2}$($wt%.S^{-1/2}$) and this value is a little bit lower than that of SNCM 815.