Mechanical properties of austenitic stainless steel treated by active screen plasma nitriding

Abstract

In the active screen plasma nitiriding method, the materials to be processed are insulated and a voltage is applied to a metallic and basket-shaped mesh screen installed around the material as the cathode and the furnace wall as the anode. In this research, we subjected austenitic stainless steel to active screen plasma nitiriding treatments and evaluated the mechanical properties of the treated samples. Active screen plasma nitiriding experiments were carried out using a direct current plasma-nitriding unit. Nitriding treatments were performed in a nitrogen-hydrogen atmosphere for 7.2–28.8 ks at 673 K. The S-phase formed on the surface of the nitrided samples. The thickness of the S-phase increased with increasing treatment time. The hardness of the nitrided samples increased with increasing treatment time. The wear resistance and fatigue strength of austenitic stainless steel were improved by active-screen plasma nitriding.