Effect of Carbonitriding on Endurance Life of Ball Bearing Produced from SAE 52100 Bearing Steels

The present paper reports the unusual enhancement of endurance life of ball bearings subjected to carbonitriding treatment. The microstructure was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and correlated with hardness and X-ray diffraction analysis. Endurance tests at 90% reliability revealed that the carbonitrided bearings exhibit nearly ten times more life than the non-carbonitrided bearings. This is attributed to synergic combination of retained austenitic, fine martensitic microstructure and ultrafine carbide precipitates obtained by carbonitriding treatment.

Effect of rf Plasma Carbonitriding on the Biocompatibility and Mechanical Properties of AISI 321 Austenitic Stainless Steel

AISI 321 austenitic stainless steel was treated using rf plasma carbonitriding with the intention of use low-cost orthopedic implant material in biomedical applications. The treatment process was carried at low working gas pressure of 0.075 mbar in nitrogen-acetylene gaseous mixture to form a superficial carbonitrided layer. The samples were treated using rf inductively coupled at a fixed plasma-processing power of 500 W and for a processing time varied from 4 to 20 minutes. The microstructural, mechanical and tribological properties of the untreated and treated samples were studied. The surface hardness is improved by rf plasma carbonitriding to a maximum of 1468 HV0.1 for plasma-processing time of 16 min. To evaluate the biocompatibility performance, the blood was cultured in RPMI media to test the adhesion of blood cells on the untreated and treated samples. It has been found that the blood adhesion on the treated samples is enhanced with increasing the plasma-processing time. The contact angle of the carbonitrided surfaces is decreased to lower values compared to that of the untreated surface. Furthermore, the carbonitrided layer in-vitro corrosion was tested in Ringer’s solution. A degradation in the corrosion resistance was observed for the sample carbonitrided at low plasma processing time of 4 min. However, the corrosion resistance increased to a maximum value at a plasma-processing time of 8 min then gradually decreased with further increase of plasma processing time.

Development of High Strength Steel Designed for Carbonitriding with High Nitrogen Content to Be Used for Automatic Transmission Gears

To downsize and lighten automatic transmission components, the gears installed must be strengthened in terms of pitting endurance and/or wear resistance. The most important metallurgical factor affecting fractures is well known to be resistance to softening when steel is tempered at approximately 573 K. Carbonitriding with a high amount of nitrogen is a very effective production technique because nitrogen increases the resistance during tempering. However, structural anomalies begin to appear in the surface layer when the nitrogen content exceeds 0.6 mass% in the chromium steel generally used. To address this, we have developed new high-strength chromium steel with an optimized chemical composition that effectively inhibits anomalies even when Carbonitriding with a nitrogen content of more than 0.6 mass%. We performed a drivetrain durability test on an automatic transmission component designed to have excellent contact fatigue strength and a tooth root bending impact and fatigue strength. We found that the developed steel that was carbonitrided with a content of about 0.9 mass%, and then shot peened hard, has a pitting life of roughly 4.5 times that of conventionally manufactured steel.

Effect of Rare Earths on Structure and Properties of Carbonitriding Boronizing Combined Treatment

The microstructure, thickness, microhardness and wear resistance of single-boronizing, carbonitriding+boronizing and carbonitriding+RE-boronizing layers of 16Mn steel were investigated respectively. Effect of rare earths on microstructure and properties of the penetrated layer were studied and the mechanism of effects of rare earths was discussed. The result showed that the structure, microhardness, brittleness and wear resistance of the penetrated layer after carbonitriding+ RE-boronizing were better than that of conventional boronizing and carbonitriding, especially the wear resistance of boronized layer was increased remarkably. The RE-boronizing layer of the steel is single phase Fe2B, and RE elements enhanced Fe2B (002) direction texture. The distribution of rare earth element (La) in the layer was non-uniform. RE content is higher between borides than that of the interior of borides. An optimum value of the addition of RE element in the agent was 8%. The average service life of the 16Mn steel brick mould treated by carbonitriding+RE-boronizing was 1.5 times as long as the service life of the mould treated by carbonitriding-boronizing.

Preparation of Hydrophobic Surface on Titanium by Micro-Rolling and Laser Diffusion Carbonitriding

The application of rolling for fabricating grate on titanium stripe has been explored in this paper. Then the mechanically robust Ti（C,N） diffusion layer was synthetized directly on the grates by laser carbonitriding in the mixture gas of nitrogen and methane. The results shows that the carbonitriding process is accelerated by temperature enhancement with decreasing scanning speed, The Ti（C,N） diffusion layer is kept at 2 ~nn in thickness, when the scanning speed is smaller than 4 mm/s. The contact angle increases from 20~ to 143.6~ by designing an appropriate grate size and surface roughness. Meanwhile, the relationship between hydrophobicity, hardness performance and scanning speed is also discussed. The hardness of diffusion layer increases with decreasing laser scanning speed, and is up to 11.2 GPa. The surface structure and hydrophobic state are maintained after three cycles of sandpaper abrasion, which has improved the robustness of surface grate.

Adhesion Studies of Diamond-Like Carbon Films Deposited on Ti6Al4V Alloy after Carbonitriding

Diamond-like Carbon (DLC) coatings have attracted significant attention due to their low friction coefficient, high degree of hardness, chemical inertness, and high wear resistance as well as and their many possible uses in metallurgical, aeronautical, and biomedical applications. However, DLC has low adhesion strength to metallic substrates. Carbonitriding was performed before DLC deposition to improve this adherence. Different concentration of nitrogen in the gas mixture was used during the carbonitriding of Ti6Al4V alloy. DLC films were subsequently grown from methane using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The samples were characterized with Raman scattering spectroscopy, nanoindentation, and tribological tests. Films from 80.0% N2 had the best friction coefficient (0.07) and a critical load of ~22 N. In the scratching test, these films had adhesive failure and they completely detached from the substrate only in the end of the tests. SEM images show carbonitring promoted a significant increase in the surface defects (homogeneously distributed) but without the presence of microcracks. EDX analysis indicated that nitrogen element was diffused throughout the thickness of the samples. Hydrogen and carbon atoms from carbonitriding formed a diffusion-barrier layer that can be used as the first step for DLC deposition. This carbonitriding can also provide a carbide layer, which serves as the precursor for the nucleation and growth of DLC films.

Formation of carbonitride precipitates in hardfacing alloy with niobium addition

Niobium, as the most effective second-phase forming element, was added in the Fe-Crl3-C-N hard- facing alloy to get carbonitride precipitates. Morphology and composition of carbonitride in the hardfacing alloy were studied by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and electron probe microanalyzer. The ther- modynamics and the effect on the matrix of the formation of carbonitride were also discussed. It was found that niobium carbonitrides are complex Nb（C, N） precipitate distributed on grain boundary and matrix of the hardfacing alloy. Under as-welded condition, primary carbonitride particles were readily precipitated from the hardfacing alloy with large size and morphology as they were formed already during solidification. Under heat treatment condi- tion, a large number of secondary carbonitrides can pre- cipitate out with very fine size and make a great secondary hardening effect on the matrix. As a result, addition of niobium in the hardfacing alloy can prevent the formation of chromium-rich phase on grain boundaries and inter- granular chromium depletion.

Coarsening behavior of MX carbonitrides in type 347H heat-resistant austenitic steel during thermal aging

In this work, the growth kinetics of MX （M - metal, X - C/N） nanoprecipitates in type 347H austenitic steel was systematically studied. To investigate the coarsening behavior and the growth mechanism of MX carbonitrides during long-term aging, experiments were performed at 700, 800, 850, and 900℃ for different periods （1, 24, 70, and 100 h）. The precipitation behavior of carbonitrides in specimens subjected to various aging conditions was explored using carbon replicas and transmission electron microscopy （TEM） observations. The corresponding sizes ofMX carbonitrides were measured. The results demonstrates that MX carbonitrides precipitate in type 347H austenitic steel as Nb（C,N）. The coarsening rate constant is time-independent; however, an increase in aging temperature results in an increase in coarsening rate of Nb（C,N）. The coarsening process was analyzed according to the calculated diffusion activation energy of Nb（C,N）. When the aging temperature was 800-900℃, the mean activation energy was 294 kJ·mol -1, and the coarsening behavior was controlled primarily by the diffusion of Nb atoms.

THEORETICAL CALCULATION OF SPECIFIC INTERFACIALENERGY OF SEMICOHERENT INTERFACE BETWEEN MICROALLOY CARBONITRIDES AND AUSTENITE

According to the misfitting dislocation theory,a method of theoretical calculation was devel- oped for the specific energy of the semicoherent interface between microalloy carbonitrides and austenite matrix.The calculating formulae were derived and the results were satisfactorily applied on the research works.

Effect of electrolyte temperature on the nano-carbonitride layer fabricated by surface nanocrystallization and plasma treatment on a γ-TiAl alloy

The distribution of nano-carbonitrides produced by the treatments of surface nanocrystallization and plasma electrolytic carbonitriding on a γ-TiAl was investigated by means of figure analysis. The skewness and kurtosis of Gaussian shape distribution curves were studied and the effect of electrolyte temperature was determined. The usage of lower temperatures of the electrolyte is more suitable for achieving lower sizes of complex nano-carbonitrides. The surface roughness of treated samples was measured and it was observed that there is an optimum level of electrolyte temperature for surface roughness increase （difference between two measured data）.

Two-dimensional titanium carbonitride MXene as a highly efficient electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction

In this paper,we report,for the first time,on the electrochemical catalytic activity of 2D titanium carbonitride MXene for hydrogen evolution reaction(HER).According to our study,2D titanium carbonitride exhibited much higher electrocatalytic activity than its carbide analogues,achieving an onset overpotential of 53 mV and Tafel slope of 86 mV dec^(-1),superior to the titanium carbide with onset overpotential of 649 mV and Tafel slope of 303 mV dec^(-1).The obtained onset overpotential for 2D titanium carbonitride is lower than those of all the reported transition metal carbides MXene catalysts without additives,so far.Density functional theory calculations were conducted to further understand the electrochemical performance.The calculation results show that a greater number of occupied states are active for Ti_(3)CNO_(2),revealing free energy for the adsorption of atomic hydrogen closer to 0 than that of Ti_(3)C_(2)O_(2).Both experimental and calculation studies demonstrate the excellent electrocatalytic behavior of titanium carbonitride.The investigation of 2D titanium carbonitride opens up a promising paradigm for the conscious design of high-performance non-precious metal catalyst for hydrogen generation.

LATTICE PARAMETERS OF COMPLEX CARBONITRIDE CONTAINING Ti,Nb AND V

The lattice constants and chemical composition of Ti,Nb and V precipitates with different particle sizes have been measured hy means of CBED and EDAX.It was obtained that the concentration ratio Of Nb and V,C_(Nb)/C_V,and the lattice constants in the Nb-V steel de- crease with the decrease of the particle size of the precipitates,but there is no regularity for tattice constant of Ti,N b and V precipitate against their particle size in the Ti-V-Nb steel.

Laser-Plasma Deposition of Silicon Carbonitride Films by the HMDS Vapor Gas Flow Activation after a Laser Beam Focus

A new laser-plasma deposition method has been developed for the plasma chemical deposition of hard silicon carbonitride coatings on stainless steel substrates from the hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) Si2NH(CH3)6 vapor in a high-speed Ar and Ar + 10 vol.% He gas stream at the HMDS gas flow activation after the laser beam focus. The method allows depositing silicon carbonitride coatings at the rate of 0.4 - 1.2 μm·min-1, i.e. ~2 times higher than that at introducing HMDS in the laser beam focus zone. The properties of the prepared coatings have been studied by the methods of IR and Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, nanoindentation and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Studying the film structure with the use of XRD showed that the prepared silicon carbonitride coatings are X-ray amorphous. It has been found that the coating deposition rate and the structure of coatings depend on the process parameters: HMDS flow rate and plasma-generating gas (argon or (Ar + He). The method allows depositing SiCN films at a high speed and a hardness of 20 - 22 GPa.

STRAIN-INDUCED ISOTHERMAL PRECIPITATION OF Nb,V AND Ti CARBONITRIDES IN MICROALLOYED STEELS DURING CONTROLLED ROLLING

The strain-induced isothermal precipitation and the law of coarsening of Nb,V and Ti carbonitrides in Nb-steel.V-steel.Nb-V steel and Ti-V-Nb steel have been investigated systematically by means of STEM,EDAX,a new extraction replica technique and the quanti- tative phase analyses method.

BEHAVIOR OF FINE V-Ti COMPLEX CARBONITRIDE IN STEEL 09MnVTiN DURING REHEATING

An investigation was carried out of the morphology and microstructure of V-Ti complex carbonitride in steel 09MnVTiN during reheating under analytical electron microscope.The prior V-rich ellipsoid V-Ti complex carbonitride particles are replaced progressively by Ti-rich cubic ones as the reheating temperature elevated from 1050 to 1400℃.The Ti con- tents in the core and border of particles increase from 15 and 6% in hot-rolled specimens into 84 and94% at 1400℃ respectively.

CN bond orientation in metal carbonitride endofullerenes：A density functional theory study

The geometric and electronic structures of scandium carbonitride endofullerene Sc3CN@C2n （2n=68, 78, 80, 82, and 84） and Sc（Y）NC@C76 have been systematically investigated to identify the preferred position of internal C and N atoms by density functional theory （DFT） calculations combined with statistical mechanics treatments. The CN bond orientation can generally be inferred from the molecule stability and electronic configuration. It is found that Sc3CN@C2n molecules have the most stable structure with C atom locating at the center of Sc3CN cluster. The CN bond has trivalent form of[CN]3- and connects with adjacent three Sc atoms tightly. However, in Sc（Y）NC@C76 with[NC]-, the N atom always resides in the center of the whole molecule. In addition, the stability of Sc3CN@C2n has been further compared in terms of the organization of the corresponding molecular energy level. The structural differences between Sc3CN@C2n and Sc3NC@C2n are highlighted by their respected infrared spectra.

滚动轴承钢碳氮共渗工艺研究

以GCr15和GCr15SiMn轴承钢为研究对象,进行不同工艺的碳氮共渗热处理实验研究。利用光学显微镜观察试样热处理后的显微组织、晶粒度,利用X-射线衍射仪分析热处理后残余奥氏体的含量,利用硬度仪测量试样热处理后的硬度变化规律,研究共渗温度对渗层组织和性能的影响。研究结果表明:考虑碳氮共渗层深度、显微组织、晶粒度以及硬度综合因素,碳氮共渗温度控制在820℃,碳势控制在1.18%,进行淬火和低温回火的组织和性能较好。该工艺下增加冷处理,GCr15SiMn试样表面硬度从64.5 HRC提高至66.1 HRC,表面残余奥氏体量从22.1%下降至12.5%。冷处理有效降低了表面残余奥氏体含量。

先驱体转化SiBCN陶瓷的制备、性能与应用

先驱体转化法是制备高性能陶瓷材料的重要方法,尤其在连续纤维及其复合材料(FRCMC)的制备、元素组成与微结构调控等方面具有显著优势。先驱体转化SiBCN陶瓷具有多元素含量可调、化学键合结构可控的特点,构建了不同结构特征和特殊性能的陶瓷材料。近几年,先驱体转化SiBCN陶瓷发展呈现出新的特点,结构功能一体化设计与制备技术受到了国内外的广泛关注。本文主要梳理了2016年至今先驱体转化SiBCN陶瓷的国内外研究进展,首先简要介绍先驱体转化SiBCN陶瓷的主要特点,然后以先驱体转化陶瓷产物的典型特点为分类依据,分别从SiBCN陶瓷先驱体及其陶瓷产物、连续SiBCN陶瓷纤维、SiBCN基复合材料和功能化SiBCN陶瓷4个方面综述了主要研究进展,提出了未来发展趋势和重点任务,期望为SiBCN陶瓷研制与应用研究提供参考,促进我国先进陶瓷材料的发展进步。

基于等离子电解碳氮共渗的水滑石复合渗层制备及耐蚀性能研究

为了提高钢铁材料在经过等离子电解渗后的耐腐蚀性,以退火后的20钢为试验对象,以等离子电解碳氮共渗过程中形成的微纳孔洞为容器,并负载镁铁水滑石(Mg-Fe-LDHs)作为缓蚀剂,着重探讨了Mg-Fe-LDHs对20钢腐蚀性能的影响。首先,以甲酰胺为碳氮源、KCl为导电盐,与去离子水混合形成电解液;然后在220 V直流脉冲电压下处理9 min获得碳氮共渗层(简称PEC/N试样);随后,将PEC/N试样放入由尿素溶液、MgSO_(4)溶液与Na_(2)CO_(3)溶液构成的Mg-Fe-LDHs前驱体溶液中,在140℃恒温环境下水热晶化10 h获得复合渗层(简称PEC/N-LDHs试样)。随后通过显微硬度计、扫描电镜(SEM)、X射线衍射仪(XRD)、电化学测试分析了复合渗层的不同性能表现。结果表明:复合渗层的显微硬度达到900 HV左右,较基体提高了4.6倍。PEC/N试样渗层约20μm厚,截面光滑、平整,表面崎岖不平、呈多孔蜂窝状;经水热合成LDHs后,表面变得平整,无明显蜂窝状结构,试样表面出现大量片状结晶物。PEC/N试样的XRD谱中出现了Fe_(3)C、Fe_(5)C_(2)、α-Fe、Fe_(3)N物质的吸收峰;在原位负载Mg-Fe-LDHs后,PEC/N-LDHs试样的XRD谱中出现了Mg-Fe-LDHs晶体(003)、(006)与(009)晶面的吸收峰;结合SEM形貌特征可知,Mg-Fe-LDHs被成功负载,呈片状结构。相比20钢,PEC/N试样渗层的腐蚀电位(E_(corr))与腐蚀电流密度(J_(corr))均有所提高,分别达到-0.451 V与75.22μA/cm^(2),但其低频阻抗模值(|Z|_(0.01 Hz))并未显著增大,仅达到998.5Ω·cm^(2);负载Mg-Fe-LDHs后,PEC/N-LDHs试样的E_(corr)、J_(corr)、|Z|_(0.01 Hz)分别达到-0.355 V、39.11μA/cm^(2)、6586.0Ω·cm^(2),较20钢及PEC/N试样均有较大幅度改善。以上结果表明,采用等离子电解浸渗处理20钢,可以获得高硬度的碳氮共渗层;通过水热法负载LDHs后,可进一步提高复合渗层的耐蚀性,且不影响PEC/N渗层的硬度,所获得的PEC/N-LDHs复合渗层同时具有高硬度与较好的耐蚀性。

大型圆锥滚子轴承套圈碳氮共渗工艺优化

碳氮共渗工艺可以大幅提升轴承疲劳寿命,但在商用车轮毂轴承上的研究还较少。采用工艺试验的方法,分析对比不同温度、碳势、NH_(3)流量和工艺时间对33022圆锥滚子轴承的渗层深度和表面硬度的影响,得到了最佳工艺参数:强渗阶段,温度为860℃,NH_(3)流量为2.5 L/min,碳势为1.2%,时间为330 min;扩散阶段,温度为860℃,NH_(3)流量为2.5 L/min,碳势为1.0%,时间为60 min;保温阶段,温度为820℃,NH_(3)流量为2.5 L/min,碳势为1.0%,时间为60 min。工艺优化后,测量碳氮共渗后的轴承尺寸、表面组织和硬度,均能满足产品技术要求;轴承疲劳试验结果表明,相比于常规马氏体淬回火热处理工艺,碳氮共渗处理后的轴承寿命由2L_(10)提升至5L_(10),有效提高了轴承的疲劳寿命。