Effect of plasma nitriding temperature on microstructure and properties of nitrided layer on Fe-C-Cr-Ni-Mn-V precipitation-hardened austenitic stainless steel

doi:10.13251/j.issn.0254-6051.2022.11.026

Abstract

Abstract: The surface of a Fe-C-Cr-Ni-Mn-V precipitation-hardened austenitic stainless steel was modified by plasma nitriding. Microstructure and properties of the nitrided layer at different nitriding temperatures were investigated by means of optical microscope (OM),X-ray diffraction (XRD), electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) and Vickers hardness tester. The results show that nitrided layer with uniform thickness on the specimen surface is formed by plasma nitriding at temperatures ranging from 430 ℃ to 520 ℃ for 10 h, and the surface hardness is significantly improved. The thickness of the nitrided layer increases with the increase of nitriding temperature and reaches 78 μm at 520 ℃. The infiltration layer is composed of γ_N, CrN and γ′-Fe₄N phases after nitriding at 430 ℃, and composed of γ′-Fe₄N, CrN and ε-Fe_2-3N phases when the nitriding temperature increases to 520 ℃. Precipitation of CrN is found in the infiltration layer at all the three nitriding temperatures, resulting in the poor corrosion resistance compared with that of the substrate.

Key words: precipitation-hardened austenitic stainless steel, plasma nitriding, temperature, phase structure, hardness

CLC Number:

TG156.8

Zhou Wu, Wang Min, Zhao Tongxin, Lu Jun, Yang Qi. Effect of plasma nitriding temperature on microstructure and properties of nitrided layer on Fe-C-Cr-Ni-Mn-V precipitation-hardened austenitic stainless steel[J]. Heat Treatment of Metals, 2022, 47(11): 147-151.

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