Effect of Carburization on the Mechanical Properties of Biomedical Grade Titanium Alloys

Titanium cermets were successfully synthesized on the surface of biomedical grade titanium alloys by using sequential carburization method. The mechanical properties such as hardness, fracture toughness and plasticity were measured to estimate the potential application of titanium cermets. The results show that after carburization the surface hardness of titanium cermets was 778 HV, with a significant improvement of 128% compared with that of titanium alloys. In addition, the fracture toughness of titanium cermets was 21.5 × 10^6 Pa.m^1/2, much higher than that of other ceramics. Furthermore, the analysis of the loading-unloading curve in the nanoindentation test also indicates that the plasticity of titanium cermet reached 32.1%, a relatively high value which illustrates the combination of the metal and ceramics properties. The results suggest that sequential carburization should be an efficient way to produce titanium cermets with hard surface, high toughness and plasticity.

Wettability Modification for Biosurface of Titanium Alloy by Means of Sequential Carburization

Microporous titanium carbide coating was successfully synthesized on medical grade titanium alloy by using sequential carburization.Changes in the surface morphology of titanium alloy occasioned by sequential carburization were characterized and the wettability characteristics were quantified.Furthermore,the dispersion forces were calculated and discussed.The results indicate that sequential carburization is an effective way to modify the wettability of titanium alloy.After the carburization the surface dispersion force of titanium alloy increased from 76.5×10^(-3)J·m^(-2) to 105.5×10^(-3) J·m^(-2),with an enhancement of 37.9 %.Meanwhile the contact angle of titanium alloy decreased from 83° to 71.5°,indicating a significant improvement of wettability,which is much closer to the optimal water contact angle for cell adhesion of 70°.

Numerical Simulation of Reaction-Diffusion during Carburization of HK40 Steel

Two types of carbides M23C6 and M7C3 precipitate orderly as carbon concentration in a high Cr-Ni austenitic steel increases during carburization process. The mathematical model that describes diffusion of carbon and the precipitation of M23C6 and M7C3 has been studied. A criterion to judge when the transformation of M23C6 to M7C3 is over and M7C3 precipitates directly has been given in simulated calculation. By applying the model, the carburization of HK40 steel has been calculated by means of finite difference computation techniques. The pack carburization tests for the HK40 steel have been carried out at 1273 K. The comparison between the experimental and the calculated results show acceptable agreement.

Reduction and carburization of iron oxides for Fischer–Tropsch synthesis

The activation of iron oxide Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis(FTS) catalysts was investigated during pretreatment: reduction in hydrogen followed by carburization in either CO or syngas mixture, or simultaneously reduction and carburization in syngas. A combination of different complementary in situ techniques was used to gain insight into the behavior of Fe-based FTS catalysts during activation. In situ XRD was used to identify the crystalline structures present during both reduction in hydrogen and carburization. An increase in reduction rate was established when increasing the temperature. A complete reduction was demonstrated in the ETEM and a grain size dependency was proven, i.e. bigger grains need higher temperature in order to reduce. XPS and XAS both indicate the formation of a small amount of carbonaceous species at the surface of the bulk metallic iron during carburization.

Influence of Surface Carburization of Machinable Ceramics on Its Pulsed Flashover Characteristics in Vacuum

For pulsed power devices, surface flashover phenomena across solid insulators greatly restrict their overall performance. In recent decades, much attention has been paid on enhancing the surface electric withstanding strength of insulators, and it is found that surface treatment of material is useful to improve the surface flashover voltage. The carburization treatment is employed to modify the surface components of newly-developed machinable ceramics （MC） materials. A series of MC samples with different glucose solution concentration （0%, 10%, 20%, 30% and 40%） are prepared by chemical reactions for surface carburization modification, and their surface fiashover characteristics are investigated under pulsed voltage in vacuum. It is found that the surface carburization treatment greatly modifies the surface resistivity of MCs and hence the flashover behaviors. Based on the reduction of surface resistivity and the secondary electron emission avalanche （SEEA） theory, the adjustment of flashover withstanding ability can be reasonably explained.

Single-step thermal carburization synthesis of supported molybdenum carbides from molybdenum-containing methyl-silica

A novel synthesis route to obtain highly dispersed molybdenum carbides in porous silica is described. The synthesis was carried out by a single-step heat treatment of molybdenum-containing and methyl-modified silica （Mo-M-SiO2） in argon atmosphere at 973 K. Mo-M-SiO2 precursor was facilely obtained via a one-pot synthesis route, using （NH4）6Mo7O24 4H2O （AHM） as molybdenum sources and polymethylhydrosiloxane （PMHS） as silica sources at the initial synthetic step. The optimal C/Mo molar ratio in reaction system for complete carburization of molybdenum species was 7. The carburization process of molybdenum species followed a nontopotactic route involving a MoO2 intermediate phase, which was evidenced by XRD, N2 adsorption-desorption and in situ XPS. Formation mechanism of Mo-M-SiO2 precursor was also proposed by observation of the reaction between AHM and PMHS with TEM. Furthermore, by adding TEOS into silica sources and adjusting TEOS/PMHS mass ratio, crystal phase of molybdenum carbides transferred from β-Mo2C to α-MoC1-x, and SiO2 structure changed from microporous to micro/mesoporous. Catalytic performances of samples were tested using CO hydrogenation as a probe reaction. The supported molybdenum carbides exhibited high selectivity for higher alcohol synthesis compared with bulk β-Mo2C and α-MoC1-x.

Plasma surface alloying with molybdenum and carburization of TiAl based alloys

A hard layer which is rich in Mo and carbon on the surface of TiAl based alloy was formed after plasma Mo alloying followed by plasma carburization. The process parameters of plasma Mo alloying and plasma carburization were modified. The chemical composition and the thickness of the formed layer are obviously affected by the temperature used during alloying and carburization. The surface layer of TiAl treated by carburization at 1000℃ following Mo alloying at 1125℃ consists of a hard layer with thickness of 20μm and has a graded distribution in chemical composition. The pin-on-disk wear test shows that the frictional properties of TiAl disk treated only by carburization are improved. The TiAl surface treated by both Mo alloying and carburization possesses lower friction coefficient than that of carburized TiAl.

PHASE TRANSITION OF W－Co OXIDE MIXTURE DURING DIRECT REDUCTION／CARBURIZATION BY H_2／CH_4

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SURFACE CARBURIZATION OF TiAl BASED ALLOY

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Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Gear Steels After High Temperature Carburization

High temperature carburization is becoming more and more attractive because it can remarkably reduce processing time and increase productivity. However, the commonly used gear steels which are microalloyed by Al are not suitable for high temperature carburization due to abnormal grain coarsening. The gear steel 20CrMnTiNb, which is microalloyed with 0. 048% Nb and 0. 038% Ti, has been compared with the gear steel 20CrMn in terms of microstructure in the case of hardened layer and in the core after carburizing at 1000 ℃ for 4 h and mechanical prop- erties after carburizing and pseudo-carburizing. The results indicate that the fine austenite grains exist in the carbu- rized case of 20CrMnTiNb steel, while there is abnormal coarsening and duplex grain structure in the case and core of steel 20CrMn. The average prior austenite grain sizes are 19.5 and 34.2 μm for the steels 20CrMnTiNb and 20CrMn, respectively. In addition, the mechanical properties of 20CrMnTiNb steel are superior to those of 20CrMn steel. In particular, the HV hardness of the former is higher than that of the latter by about 40--70 in the range of less than 0. 7 mm in depth. Therefore, the steel 20CrMnTiNb is suitable for high temperature carburization.

Multi-length scale modeling of carburization,martensitic microstructure evolution and fatigue properties of steel gears

Multi-length scale modeling is performed to(i)predict the carburized case depth of SAE8620 steel gears by solving the Fick’s second law of diffusion,(ii)model the martensitic microstructure evolution in a grain inside the carburized case as well as to study the effect of stress cycling on retained austenite(RA)and martensite using a 3D phase-field model,(iii)simulate the effect of carburization and different RA contents on macroscale fatigue behavior of SAE8620 steel spur gear using the finite element method.The diffusion model predicts that the case depth increases with increasing heat treatment time and temperature.The phase-field simulations show that RA can transform to martensite during fatigue loading,where the extent of the transformation will depend on the type of stresses applied,i.e.stresses in a high stress regime or low stress regime of fatigue loading.Reverse transformation of martensite to austenite is also observed in low RA sample under high stress regime.The macroscale simulations show that the carburized case with high RA gives rise to better fatigue life compared to that with low RA.

Vacuum carburization of 12Cr2Ni4A low carbon alloy steel with lanthanum and cerium ion implantation

As bearing parts, 12 Cr2 Ni4 A is expected to have high hardness and excellent fatigue strength, so carburizing is employed to improve the inherit properties of 12 Cr2 Ni4 A. However, the traditional carburizing is limited by poor microstructure distribution and low rate of carburizing. The rare earth ion implantation is known to help improving the properties of tribology, corrosion resistance and oxidation resistance of metal. In this article, the RE implantation is employed to assist the carburizing. Lanthanum and cerium ion implantations are initially used to assist 12 Cr2 Ni4 A low pressure vacuum carburization.The microstructure, content of retained austenite, hardness, thickness of layer and carbon diffusion were analyzed by optical microscopy(OM), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), X-ray diffraction(XRD) and Rockwell/Vickers hardness tester, respectively. It was shown that lanthanum and cerium implantations can improve structure of the vacuum carburizing layer, and enhance the uniformity of carbon element distribution on the carburized surface. Meanwhile the RE implantation plays a positive role in promoting the surface hardness and carburized rate. The lanthanum element has more significant effect on surface hardness and content of retained austenite than cerium element. The surface hardness of lanthanum element implanted layer was 62.9 HRC with 9.6% content of retained austenite, while the carburizing rate of cerium implanted layer increased by 12.4%.

Kinetic triplet from low-temperature carburization and carbon deposition reactions

Carbon deposition reaction is unfavorable for smooth operation of blast furnace,while the product of carburization reaction is a superior iron-bearing raw material in non-blast furnace routes.The kinetic triplet of these two reactions was obtained based on non-isothermal kinetic analysis.According to the Sharp–Wentworth method,the activation energy of the carburization reaction is 397.77 kJ/mol,and the activation energies of the carbon depositions on hematite and magnetite are 188.92 and 100.89 kJ/mol,respectively.The carburization reaction is controlled by the Jander mechanism,and the carbon depositions on hematite and magnetite are both controlled by the mechanism of Zhuravlev–Lesokhin–Tempelman.Based on Coats–Redfern method,the activation energies of the above three reactions are 360.65,149.29,and 102.36 kJ/mol,respectively.The carburization reaction is a first-order reaction,while the carbon depositions on hematite and magnetite are both third-order reaction.In particular,the negative activation energy is obtained if considering the anti-Arrhenius circumstance in the Sharp-Wentworth method.Based on above results,it is feasible to adopt non-isothermal kinetic method to study the kinetic triplet of a reaction.According to the obtained activation energies and reaction mechanism functions,the simulated kinetic data are in good agreement with the experimental values even using the negative activation energy.

Double glow plasma carburization on zirconium to improve surface hardness and wear resistance

Though some important progress in the excel- lent mechanical properties of zirconium alloys have been reported, their high surface hardness and good wear prop- erties need to be explored further. In this work, a carbur- ized layer was formed on the surface of commercially pure zirconium by a double glow plasma hydrogen-free car- burizing technique. Commercial high-purity graphite was used as the carbon source material. X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, energy dis- persive spectroscopy （EDS）, Vickers hardness test, friction and wear test were used to characterize the samples car- burized. The carburized layer could be clearly observed under a microscope. XRD patterns indicate that the zirco- nium carbide phase is formed in the carburized layer. The surface hardness of the sample increases significantly after carburization. Friction and wear tests results show that wear resistance and friction coefficient of zirconium are improved considerably after carburization. Surface plastic deformation is arrested to a low extent in contrast with pure zirconium because of the presence of ZrC phases during the wear test. The results may provide new insight into methods for surface strengthening of zirconium alloys.

Research on Heredity of Coarse Ferrite Grains

The changes in austenite grain size of the specimens with coarse ferrite grains under different heat treatment process were investigated.The focus was on studying the effect of annealing on refining coarse ferrite grains,as well as the influence of the ferrite grain size on the main technical indicators of gas carburizing.The results show that coarse ferrite grains may not necessarily cause the coarse austenite grains,but may result in mixed austenite grains.After annealing treatment,the coarse ferrite grains can be significantly refined and homogenized.Moreover,the coarse ferrite grains have no significant effects on hardnessand intergranular oxidationof gas carburizing.

Effect of manganese on the catalytic performance of an iron-manganese bimetallic catalyst for light olefin synthesis

A systematic study was carried out to investigate the promotion effect of manganese on the performance of a coprecipitated iron-manganese bimetallic catalyst for the light olefins synthesis from syngas. The catalyst samples were characterized by N2 physisorption, transmis- sion electron microscopy （TEM）, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）, powder X-ray diffraction （XRD）, Mossbauer spectroscopy, H2- differential thermogravimetric analysis （H2-DTG）, CO temperature-programmed reduction （CO-TPR） and CO2 temperature-programmed des- orption （CO2-TPD）. The Fischer-Tropsch synthesis （FTS） performance of the catalyst was measured at 1.5 MPa, 250 ℃ and syngas with H2/CO ratio of 2.0. The characterization results indicated that the addition of manganese decreases the catalyst crystallite size, and improves the catalyst BET surface area and pore volume. The presence of manganese suppresses the catalyst reduction and carburization in H2, CO and syngas, respectively. The addition of manganese improves the catalytic activity of water-gas shift reaction and suppresses the oxidation of iron carbides in the FTS reaction. The incorporation of manganese improves the catalyst surface basicity and results in a significant improvement in the selectivities to light olefins and heavy hydrocarbons （C5＋）, and furthermore an inhibition of methane formation in FTS. The pure iron catalyst （Mn-00） has the highest initial FTS catalytic activity （65%） and the lowest selectivity （17.35 wt%） to light olefins （C2=-C4=）. The addition of an appropriate amount of manganese can improve the catalyst FTS activity.

Numerical Simulation on Carburizing and Quenching of Gear Ring

The carburizing process of the gear ring was simulated by taking into account the practical carburizing and quenching techniques of the gear ring and by solving the diffusion equation. The carbon content distribution in the carburized layer was obtained. Based on the results, the quenching process of the gear ring was then simulated using the metallic thermodynamics and FEM： it was found that the carburization remarkably affects the quenching process. Microstructures and stress distributions of the gear ring in the quenching process were simulated, and the results are confirmed by experiments.

Effect of process parameters on induction plasma reactive deposition of tungsten carbide from tungsten metal powder

Tungsten carbide deposit was made directly from tungsten metal powder through the reaction with methane in radio frequency induction plasma. Effect of major process parameters on the induction plasma reactive deposition of tungsten carbide was studied by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X ray diffraction analysis, water displacement method, and microhardness test. The results show that methane flow rate, powder feed rate, particle size, reaction chamber pressure and deposition distance have significant influences on the phase composition, density, and microhardness of the deposit. Extra carbon is necessary to ensure the complete conversion of tungsten metal into the carbide.

Properties of oxide films grown on 25Cr20Ni alloy in air-H_2O and H_2-H_2O atmospheres

The oxidation kinetics,surface morphology and phase structure of oxide films grown on 25Cr20Ni alloy in air-H2O and H2-H2O atmospheres at 900 ℃ for 20 h were investigated.The anti-coking performance and resistance to carburization of the two oxide films were compared using 25Cr20Ni alloy tubes with an inner diameter of 10 mm and a length of 850 mm in a bench scale naphtha steam pyrolysis unit.The oxidation kinetics followed a parabolic law in an air-H2O atmosphere and a logarithm law in a H2-H2O atmosphere in the steady-state stage.The oxide film grown in the air-H2O atmosphere had cracks where the elements Fe and Ni were enriched and the un-cracked area was covered with octahedral-shaped MnCr2O4 spinels and Cr1.3Fe0.7O3 oxide clusters,while the oxide film grown in the H2-H2O atmosphere was intact and completely covered with dense standing blade MnCr2O4 spinels.In the pyrolysis tests,the anti-coking performance and resistance to carburization of the oxide film grown in the H2-H2O atmosphere were far better than that in the air-H2O atmosphere.The mass of coke formed in the oxide film grown in the H2-H2O atmosphere was less than 10％ of that in the air-H2O atmosphere.The Cr1.3Fe0.7O3 oxide clusters converted into Cr23C6 carbides and the cracks were filled with carbon in the oxide film grown in the air-H2O atmosphere after repeated coking and decoking tests,while the dense standing blade MnCr2O4 spinels remained unchanged in the oxide film grown in the H2-H2O atmosphere.The ethylene,propylene and butadiene yields in the pyrolysis tests were almost the same for the two oxide films.

Accelerating Effect of Rare Earth in Steel on Its Surface-Carburizing Process

The carburization of steel type 20 with and without RE addition was investigated. The results show that RE in steel can accelerate carburizing process at 850 and 910 ℃. The optimum RE content in steel is about 0 032%. The mechanism of enhancing effect of RE on carburizing process was discussed.