Effect of ion nitriding by glow discharge on the physical and mechanical properties of the plastically deformed tool steel R6M5

Abstract

This work is devoted to the study of the effect of the duration of ion nitriding by glow discharge on the physical and mechanical properties of tool steel with different initial structure. We used specimens of R6M5 tool steel with a coarse-grained structure obtained after annealing at a temperature of 850°C and with a fine-grained structure obtained after severe plastic deformation by torsion discharge. With an increase in the duration of ion nitriding, the thickness of the hardened layer and wear resistance increase. The combination of plastic deformation with ion nitriding by glow discharge increases the adsorption and diffusion rate of the saturating element due to the creation of a highly fragmented and disoriented fine-grained structure and contributed to reduction in processing time.