Advanced surface modification of steels

Abstract

This paper describes some of the advanced surface modification processes now being applied to steels. The processes use vacuum chambers and electric and magnetic fields to create plasmas, and high energy beams, and are applied to produce enhanced surfaces of a wide variety of depths and properties. Four classes of treatments are considered: thermal, thermochemical, coating or plating, and ion implantation. Examples of the most widely applied treatments which are described include: plasma nitriding of medium carbon steel, physical vapor deposition of very hard titanium nitride coatings on tool steels, and localized laser hardening of steels and cast irons. An emerging trend is the combination of two advanced techniques in order to provide even higher levels of surface performance.