Effect of trace oxygen on plasma nitriding of titanium foil

Titanium nitride films are prepared by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition method on titanium foil using N_(2) as precursor. In order to evaluate the effect of oxygen on the growth of titanium nitride films, a small amount of O_(2) is introduced into the preparation process. The study indicates that trace O_(2) addition into the reaction chamber gives rise to significant changes on the color and micro-morphology of the foil, featuring dense and long nano-wires. The as-synthesized nanostructures are characterized by various methods and identified as TiN, Ti_(2) N, and TiO_(2) respectively. Moreover, the experiment results show that oxide nanowire has a high degree of crystallinity and the nitrides present specific orientation relationships with the titanium matrix.

Effects of Plasma Nitriding on Microstructure and Tribological Properties of CoCrMo Alloy Implant Materials

Medical forged CoCrMo alloy was treated by plasma nitriding process.The microstructures were characterized by 3Dprofiler,SEM and XRD.The tribological properties were investigated under lubrication of 25% bovine serum solution.Resultsshow that plasma nitriding is a promising process to produce thick,hard,and more wear resistant layers on the surface of CoCrMoalloy.All nitrided samples showed an important increase in the surface hardness due to the formation of harder CrN andCrN phases with compact nano-crystalline structures.The typical hardness values of HVincreased almost two times thanuntreated one.Under bovine serum lubrication,at low nitriding temperature the Coefficient of Friction (COF) of nitrided samplewas lower than that of untreated sample,but at high nitriding temperature the COF was almost the same as the untreated one.Compared with the untreated sample,the nitrided samples showed lower wear rates and higher wear resistance under differentnitriding temperatures.The adhesive wear is the main mechanism for untreated CoCrMo alloy and the wear mechanisms ofnitrided ones are the fatigue wear and slight adhesive wear.It is concluded that the improvement of wear resistance is ascribed tothe hard nitride formation of CrN and CrN phases at the nitrided surfaces.

Gaseous Nitriding Process of Surface Nanocrystallized (SNCed) Steel

The behavior of gaseous nitriding on the surface nanocrystallized (SNCed) steel was investigated. The mild steel discs were SNCed on one side by using the method of ultrasonic shot peening. The opposite side of the discs maintained the original coarse-grained condition. The gaseous nitriding was subsequently carried out at three different temperatures: 460, 500 and 560℃. The compound layer growth and diffusion behavior were then studied. It was revealed that SNC pretreatment greatly enhances both diffusion coefficient D and surface reaction rate. As a result, nitriding time could be reduced to the half. It was also found that the growth of compound layer with nitriding time conformed with parabolic relationship from the start of nitriding process in the SNCed samples.

Examination of Plasma Nitriding Microstructure with Addition of Rare Earths

Medium-carbon alloy steel was plasma nitrided with rare earths La, Ce and Nd into the nitriding chamber respectively. The nitriding layer microstructures with and without rare earths were compared using optical microscope,normal SEM and high resolution SEM, as well as TEM. It was found that the extent of the influence on plasma nitriding varies with different contents of rare earth. The effect of plasma nitriding is benefit from adding of Ce or Nd. The formation of hard and brittle phase Fe_(2-3)N can be prevented and the butterfly-like structure can be improved by adding Ce or Nd. However, pure La may prevent the diffusion of nitrogen and the formation of iron nitride, and reduce the depth of diffusion layer.

Effect of nitriding-sulfurizing composite treatment on the tribological behavior of titanium alloys

A composite layer was prepared on the surface of Ti-6Al-4V alloy by nitriding-sulfurizing composite treatment,and its microstructure and phase structure were examined by scanning electron microscopy（SEM） and X-ray diffraction（XRD）,respectively.The tribological performance was measured to investigate its dependence on the nitriding-sulfurizing composite treatment process.The results indicated that the composite layer was mainly comprised of Ti2N,TiN,and TiS2.It was found that the composite layer exhibited superior tribological properties under dry friction and absolute sliding conditions due to the formation of sulfides with self-lubricating function.

Comprehensive analysis of pulsed plasma nitriding preconditions on the fatigue behavior of AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel

This study aims to draw an exact boundary for microstructural and mechanical behaviors in terms of pulsed plasma nitriding conditions.The pulsed plasma nitriding treatment was applied to AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel at different temperatures and durations.Results reveal that nitriding depth increased as process temperature and duration increase.The nitriding depth remarkably increased at 475℃for 8 h and at 550℃for 4 h.An austenite structure was transformed into a metastable nitrogen-oversaturated body-centered tetragonal expanded austenite(S-phase)during low-temperature plasma nitriding.The S-phase was converted to CrN precipitation at 475℃for 8 h and at 550℃for 4 h.Surface hardness and fatigue limit increased through plasma nitriding regardless of process conditions.The best surface hardness and fatigue limit were obtained at 550℃for 4 h because of the occurrence of CrN precipitation.

β-Sialon Produced by Carbon Thermal Nitriding Reaction of Bauxite

β-Sialon was produced by carbon thermal nitriding reaction in N_2 gas atmosphere when the mixtures of bauxite and anthracite were put into vertical furnace. According to the mass loss of raw materials and the result of X-ray diffration (XRD) of products, the influences of the process parameters on the compositions and relative contents of products, such as the fixed carbon content, the flow of N2, the soaking time and the temperature, were researched.

STUDY ON REDUCING THE CORE LOSS OF GRAIN ORIENTED SILICON STEEL AND IMPROVING ITS AGING PROPERTY BY LASER NITRIDING TECHNIQUE IN ATMOSPHERIC AMBIENT

CW-CO2 laser nitriding technique was applied to improve the properties （such as aging property and the core loss） of grain oriented silicon steel. The samples were nitrided with regular space. Laser power density and scanning speed were chosen as 7.8×10^5W·cm^-2 and 100mm·min^-1. By some laser irradiation, Fe4N and Fe3N were formed in the nitrided zone. The nitrided samples were annealed at the temperatures ranged from 100 to 90℃. The core loss of some interested samples was tested. The results show that the core loss of the nitrided samples with different thickness of 0.23 and 0.30mm decreased by 14.9% and 9.4% respectively, and the aging property were improved up to 800℃. The mechanism of laser nitriding to improve the properties of grain oriented silicon steel is discussed.

Diffusion of lanthanum in nanocrystallized surface layer during plasma rare earth nitriding of 3J33B steel

Plasma rare earth nitriding of nanocrystallized surface layer of 3J33B steel at 350 and 410℃ for different time was studied. The microstructure observation and X-ray diffraction（XRD） analysis show that the nitriding layer consists of compound layer （γ′-Fe4N） and diffusion layer （α-Fe）. Lanthanum content profiles in nanocrystallized surface layer were measured using glow discharge spectometry（GDS）. The results show that lanthanum can diffuse into the surface layer of the steel to a large depth. Based on the experimental results mentioned above, the diffusion coefficients and activation energy of lanthanum in γ′ phase are calculated to be 1.03×10 -15 cm2/s （350℃）, 1.75×10 -15 cm2/s （410℃） and 31.313kJ/mol, respectively.

Nitriding of Hard Fe Electrodepositionand Its Effects on Wear Resistance

Nitriding is employed for the hard Fe electrodeposition to produce a hard-facing and antiwear coating. It only takes 1 h for the hard Fe coating, which is much shorter than nitriding the Fe and steel. The results showed that the nitriding can increase the microhardness, wear resistance of the coating, as well as the bonding strength of the coating with the substrate. Additionally it can eliminate the brittleness, turn the internal stress of the coating from tension to compression. The wear resistance of the nitrided Fe coating is 4.6 times as high as that of Cr coating. It is simple and economic to combine hard be electroplating and nitriding, which is a good technology of the tribological surface modification.

IMPROVEMENT OF MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF MARTENSITIC STAINLESS STEEL BY PLASMA NITRIDING AT LOW TEMPERATURE

A series of experiments were carried out to study the influence of low temperature plasma nitriding on the mechanical properties of AISI 420 martensitic stainless steel. Plasma nitriding experiments were carried out for 15 h at 350℃ by means of DC- pulsed plasma in 25%N2＋ 75%H2 atmosphere. The microstructure, phase composition, and residual stresses profiles of the nitrided layers were determined by optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The microhardness profiles of the nitridied surfaces were also studied. The fatigue life, sliding wear, and erosion wear loss of the untreated specimens and plasma nitriding specimens were determined on the basis of a rotating bending fatigue tester, a ball-on-disc wear tester, and a solid particle erosion tester. The results show that the 350℃ nitrided surface is dominated by c-Fe3N and ON, which is supersaturated nitrogen solid solution. They have high hardness and chemical stabilities. So the low temperature plasma nitriding not only increases the surface hardness values but also improves the wear and erosion resistance. In addition, the fatigue limit of AISI 420 steel can also be improved by plasma nitriding at 350℃ because plasma nitriding produces residual compressive stress inside the modified layer.

Mechanical Performances of Carbonitriding Films on Cast Iron by Plasma Electrolytic Carbonitriding

The plasma electrolytic carbonitriding(PEC/N)process is applied to cast iron using an aqueous solution of acetamide and glycerin as the electrolyte.Mechanical properties of the carbonitriding layers on cast iron are investigated.After the PEC/N treatment,the microhardness and wear resistance of cast iron are improved significantly compared to the untreated substrate.When the substrate is processed at 350V for 60 s,the coating presents the highest microhardness and it is about 554.14HK0.02,and the coating with the highest hardness has the best wear resistance.

Surface modification of (Tb_(0.3)Dy_(0.7))Fe_(1.95) alloy by ion nitriding process

Effect of ion nitriding modification on surface hardness, corrosion resistance and magnetostriction of （Tb0.3Dy0.7）Fe1.95 alloy was investigated. Results demonstrated that a 100-200 nm thick nitrided layer was formed on the sample surface by ion nitriding treatment, which improved obviously surface hardness, wear, and corrosion resistance properties of （Tb0.3Dy0.7）Fe1.95 alloys. The surface hardness was increased from HV587 to HV622 after ion nitriding at 650 K for 6 h. Furthermore, ion nitriding treatment had almost no influence on mag- netostrictive performance as the nitrided layer was quite thin and the treatment temperature was not too high. The results might provide us a new approach for surface modification of （Tb0.3Dy0.7）Fe1.95 alloy.

Bacteria Adherence Properties of Nitrided Layer on Ti6Al4V by the Plasma Nitriding Technique

The nitrided layer on Ti6A14V substrate was prepared by the plasma nitriding technique. The sample was characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy （GDOES）, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）, and rough-meter. X- ray diffraction analysis reveals that TiN, Ti2N and Ti phase exist in the nitrided layer subsurface. GDOES analysis shows the thickness of the nitrided layer is about 3 ~tm. XPS analysis shows that there is higher N, lower A1 and lower V in the nitrided layer surface than in the Ti6A14V surface. Rough-meter analysis results show the roughness of the nitrided layer is greater than that of Ti6A14V alloy base. The bacteria adherence property of the nitrided layer on Ti6A14V substrate on the Streptococcus mutans was investigated and compared with that of Ti6A14V alloy by fluorescence microscope. It shows that the nitrided layer inhibits the bacteria adherence.

Study of the Effect of Gas Nitriding Time on Microstructure and Wear Resistance of 42CrMo4 Steel

Prior studies have noted that gas nitriding has a considerable effect for wear resistance. The aim of this paper is to study the influence of gas nitriding time (12, 24, 36 and 48 h) in the wear behaviour of 42CrMo4 steel. It has been assessed by micro hardness, pin-on-disc tribosystem, and SEM through the nitrided layer for each nitriding time. The study relates to the performance of the compound layer and the diffusion layer with respect to adhesive wear. The results were analyzed in terms of the weight lost during wear, for nitrided steel with and without the compound layer, and for untreated steel. It has been observed that wear rate varies as a function of the tests conditions due to the presence of different wear mechanisms. Thus, for short tests conditions wear rate depends on two mechanisms: plastic deformation and adhesive wear, whereas for large tests conditions the mechanisms controlling wear rate are abrasive and oxidative wear. Furthermore, this study contains an analysis of the wear mechanisms of a nitrided part, founded on scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations of the wear traces at various stages of the evolution of wear. The SEM examination of worn surfaces revealed signatures for the adhesion, abrasion, delamination and tribochemical (oxidative) modes of wear. This is an important issue for future research.

Characterization and Tribological Performance of Titanium Nitrides in Situ Grown on Ti6Al4V Alloy by Glow Discharge Plasma Nitriding

Titanium(Ti)nitrides were in situ grown on Ti6Al4V alloy(TA)using a glow discharge plasma nitriding(GDPN).The morphology,chemical composition,phase and mechanical property of the obtained nitrided TA were analyzed using a scanning electron microscope(SEM),energy dispersive spectroscope(EDS),X-ray diffraction(XRD),and nanoindentation tester,respectively.The tribological performances of un-nitrided and nitrided TAs were evaluated using a ball-on-plate wear tester,and the wear mechanism was also discussed in detail.The results show that the nitrided layer with the compound and diffusion layers is formed on the nitrided TA,which is composed of δ-TiN and a-Ti phases.The nanohardness and elastic modulus of nitrided TA are 6.05 and 143.13 GPa,respectively,higher than those of un-nitrided TA.The friction reduction and anti-wear performances of nitrided TA are better than those of un-nitrided TA,and the wear mechanism is primary abrasive wear,accompanying with adhesive wear,which is attributed to the formation of Ti nitrides with the high nanohardness and elastic modulus.

Experimental and numerical study on plasma nitriding of AISI P20 mold steel

In this study, plasma nitriding was used to fabricate a hard protective layer on AISI P20 steel, at three process temperatures（450℃, 500℃, and 550℃） and over a range of time periods（2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 h）, and at a fixed gas N2：H2 ratio of 75vol%：25vol%. The morphology of samples was studied using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, and the formed phase of each sample was determined by X-ray diffraction. The elemental depth profile was measured by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, wavelength dispersive spectroscopy, and glow dispersive spectroscopy. The hardness profile of the samples was identified, and the microhardness profile from the surface to the sample center was recorded. The results show that ε-nitride is the dominant species after carrying out plasma nitriding in all strategies and that the plasma nitriding process improves the hardness up to more than three times. It is found that as the time and temperature of the process increase, the hardness and hardness depth of the diffusion zone considerably increase. Furthermore, artificial neural networks were used to predict the effects of operational parameters on the mechanical properties of plastic mold steel. The plasma temperature, running time of imposition, and target distance to the sample surface were all used as network inputs; Vickers hardness measurements were given as the output of the model. The model accurately reproduced the experimental outcomes under different operational conditions; therefore, it can be used in the effective simulation of the plasma nitriding process in AISI P20 steel.

Effect of Nitriding Process on Phase and Microstructure of Silicon Nitride Fibers Prepared by Direct Nitriding Method

In this paper,Si3N4 fiber materials were fabricated by nitridation of porous Si green bodies,which were prepared by the foaming method combined with gel-casting.The effect of the nitriding process(the heating rate and the nitrogen flow rate)on the phase and the microstructure was studied.The results show that decreasing the heating rate and the nitrogen flow rate is both beneficial to the growth of Si3N4 nanofibers and promoting the disintegration of the pore wall structure of the porous green bodies.The optimized nitrogen flow rate and the heating rate for the growth of silicon nitride fibers are 150 mL/min and 0.5℃/min,respectively.

Microstructure and Wear Behavior of Ti-6Al-4V Treated by Plasma Zr-alloying and Plasma Nitriding

A duplex treatment of plasma Zr-alloying and plasma nitriding was used to improve the tribological properties of Ti-6Al-4V. The microstructure of the Zr-N composite（alloyed） layer formed on Ti-6Al-4V and its hardness, friction and wear properties were investigated by using OM, SEM, GDOES, EDS, microhardness tester as well as ball-on-disk tribometer. The results of microstructural analysis show that the alloyed layer is compact and uniform and is mainly composed of ZrN, TiN_（0.3） and AlN. A very tiny adhesive and slight oxidation wear is the primary wear mechanism for the modified Ti-6Al-4V. The tribological property is improved significantly after the duplex treatment. The good combination of antifriction and wear resistance for modified Ti-6Al-4V is mainly attributed to the higher surface hardness of metal nitrides formed on the surface and enhanced supporting of the Zr-diffusing layer.

Ion and Gas Nitriding Applied to Steel Tool for Hot Work X38CrMoV5 Nitriding Type: Impact on the Wear Resistance

The present work is to characterize both processes of thermochemical treatments: plasma nitriding and gas. The tests were carried out in collaboration with the Franco-Tunisian heat treatment (F3T) applied to a widely used steel in industrial production as a tool for hot work on X38CrMoV5 (AISI H13). The material underwent a first cycle of hardening heat treatment at 1030℃ followed by two successive incomes at 550℃ and 590℃. After nitriding (ion and gas), the quantification of wear was performed in the laboratory of tribology at SUPMECA (St. Ouen). After defining the test conditions on the alternative tribometer ensuring on one hand a quantitatively sufficient wear and avoiding on the other hand, the phenomenon of jamming. The conditions chosen are: 58.8 N load, frequency 0.5 Hz, friction coefficient μ = 0.5. The wear tracks were scanned using the profilometer Talysurf 5 M type, which allowed us to assess the volume used and the wear rate. Moreover, these tracks were characterized by metallography. What emerges from this work is that the control parameters of ion nitriding ensures a better depth of treatment for the same holding time with a total absence of the white layer known for chipping and fragility.