Abstract
Low-pressure carburising (LPC) of steel is an industrially accepted method for improving the properties of a steel surface. LPC is environmentally friendly, does not cause intergranular oxidation and consumes less energy. Its effectiveness depends on the correct choice of process inputs. This paper aims to determine the effect of this type of carboniferous gas, pressure and flow rate on the efficiency of carbon transfer to the surface layer under low-pressure carburisation. A total of 40 disks of 16MnCr5 steel were carburised using pure acetylene or a mixture of acetylene, ethylene and hydrogen as a carboniferous gas, pressures of 2 or 6 hPa and two gas flow rates. The specimens were gravimetrically tested for the increase in the mass of carbon in the carburised layer. The results were analysed with U Mann–Whitney analysis and t-Student test. It was evidenced that carburising with pure acetylene resulted in a higher increase in carbon mass than carburising with the mixture (p < 0.05). Pressure and gas flow rates are important for carburising efficiency (p < 0.05).
Highlights
Low-pressure carburising (LPC) is a modern method of steel surface strengthening.The higher temperature of vacuum carburising results in higher carbon transfer than in the traditional carburising method and the process time is shorter
This paper aims to determine the effect of the type of carboniferous gas, pressure and flow rate on the efficiency of carbon transfer to the surface layer under low-pressure carburisation, which is a step towards filling the knowledge gap described above
The same process segmentation was used for all processes in which the carboniferous gas boost stages lasted for 10 min in total, and the diffusion stages lasted for 60 min in total
Summary
Low-pressure carburising (LPC) is a modern method of steel surface strengthening. The higher temperature of vacuum carburising (as compared to gas carburising) results in higher carbon transfer than in the traditional carburising method and the process time is shorter. LPC is environmentally friendly; it does not cause intergranular oxidation and consumes less energy [1]. After quenching, carburised steel is often harder than raw steel. In this version, it can be used for any industrial applications where wear resistance under operating conditions is important [1–4] It can be used for any industrial applications where wear resistance under operating conditions is important [1–4].
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