Kinetics of nitrided layers formation on low-alloy steels in the gas nitriding process

Abstract

The study examined cylindrical samples made of low-alloy structural steel 42CrMo4 (40HM) and 41CrAlMo7 (38HMJ) subjected to the nitriding process at 540oC during 2, 7, 12 and 17 hours. During the first 2 hours of the process, the atmosphere was ammonia, while the rest of the process was carried out in the atmosphere consisting of 50% ammonia and 50% dissociated ammonia. After the process, surface hardness, hardness distribution at the depth of 50 µm from the surface up to the hardness of the core, and microstructure of the nitrided layer produced were examined. It has been shown that along with the extension of the duration of the nitriding process on 40HM steel, the surface thickness of the layer of nitrides increases from 6 µm after 2 hours to 14 µm after 17 hours of the process and this layer has a two-phase structure (+’), while the thickness of the diffusion layer was from 0.15 to 0.44 mm (depending on the process time). In the case of 38HMJ steel, the thickness of the layer of nitrides increased from 1 µm after 2 hours to 9.5 µm after 17 hours. The thickness of the diffusion layer was from 0.08 to 0.35 µm (depending on the process time).