Scribd
Upload
16 views

Lecture 11

Uploaded by

abuobidashihab
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
16 views

Lecture 11

Uploaded by

abuobidashihab
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 16

 Surface hardening fundamental

 Carburising
 Nitriding
 Cyaniding and carbonitriding
 Induction and flame hardening
 Many industrial applications require steels with
a hard, wear-resistant surface, and
a relatively soft, tough inside.
Examples: gear, cam shaft, roller, etc.
 Heat treatments like annealing or hardening are not suitable
for such applications.

 There are FIVE principal methods of


surface heat treatment or case hardening:
 Carburising
 Nitriding requires a change
in composition
 Cyaniding and carbonitriding
 Flame hardening does not require a
 Induction hardening change in composition
 Carbon is added on to the surface of low-carbon steels
(0.2 % C or lower) at high temperature to make the surface
hardenable. This process is called carburisation.
 The carburising temperature is usually about 925 C, where
the structure becomes fully austenitic and has the
potential of absorbing the maximum carbon atoms.

 Carburisation is then followed by hardening treatment


(followed by tempering, if needed) when
 the structure of high-carbon surface (case) becomes martensitic,
thereby increasing hardness.
 the structure of low-carbon inside (core) becomes ferrite-pearlitic,
and remains as ductile and tough.
Carburising Atmosphere/Media
 Solid or pack carburising – a mixture of charcoal, coke, and barium
carbonate (about 20 wt.%)
 Liquid carburising – a bath of molten cyanide and alkaline earth salts
 Gas carburising – carbon monoxide and/or hydrocarbon gases

 Each carburising media provides atomic carbon, which


diffuses into the steel surface during carburisation.
 The rate of diffusion of C in austenite depends upon the
heating temperature and the carbon-concentration gradient.
 Under known operating conditions, amount of carbon
penetration (case depth) with heating time can be predicted.
Structure after Carburisation

Structure of 0.2% carbon steel pack carburised at 925 C for 6 h and furnace cooled
Heat Treatment after Carburisation
 After carburisation, the surface of the steel has about 0.8 to
1.2 % C and becomes hardenable (i.e., has the capacity of
forming a fully martensitic structure), but not yet hardened.
 Hardening heat treatment is done after carburisation
to transform the austenitic structure of the case
into martensitic.

 During carburisation, the composition of core


remains the same (i.e., at about 0.2 % C). Thus, the
core of the steel is not hardenable due to low C level.
 During hardening, the austenitic structure of the CASE
core transforms into ferrite-pearlitic. (martensite)
CORE
(ferrite and pearlite)
 Nitrogen is added on to the surface of steels at high
temperatures, where it reacts with iron to form iron nitride
compounds, which are very hard.

 The nitriding temperature is usually about 500-550 C, which is


significantly lower than the carburising temperature of 925 C.
 The steel is not heated to the austenitic zone.
 The main purpose of heating to high temperature is to increase the
diffusion rate of N atoms.
 No post-hardening treatment is necessary.
 Best results are obtained during nitriding if one or more nitride-forming
alloying elements (Al, Cr and Mo) are present in steel. Hardness up to
RC70 can be obtained.
Nitriding Atmosphere/Media
 Mixture of ammonia gas and cracked ammonia

 Nitriding heating cycle can be very long, depending


on the case depth required.
A 60-h cycle produces a case depth of only about
0.024 inch at 500 C.
Two distinct zones in
the nitrided case
 A “white layer” containing
nitride compounds of iron and
other alloying elements. The
thickness of this layer is 0.002
inch maximum. This layer is
very brittle, and must be
removed before using the
article.
 Underlying the white layer,
precipitates of alloy nitirdes
only are formed.

Microstructure of a nitrided case


Advantages over Carburising
 Nitriding is performed at relatively low temperatures and
no quenching is required
 minimum distortion
 parts can be machined to close finish before nitriding
 Complex parts can be nitrided without difficulty
 Wear resistance is outstanding
 Hardness is unaffected during high temperature (below the
original nitriding temperature) uses
Limitations over Carburising

 Corrosion resistance of steels is reduced considerably


by nitriding (if the white layer is removed)
 Long heating cycle
 Formation of the brittle white layer
 Necessity of using special alloying elements to obtain
high hardness
 Cost of nitriding atmosphere
 Cases that contain both carbon and nitrogen are produced
by liquid salt baths (cyaniding) or by use of gas atmosphere
(carbonitriding).

 N imparts inherent hardness by forming hard nitride


compounds, and increased C content makes the surface of
steel hardenable during quenching
Carbonitriding
 Also known as dry cyaniding, gas cyaniding, microcarburising, or
ni-carbing, carbonitriding is a modification of gas carburising.
 Addition of anhydrous ammonia gas to the furnace atmosphere causes
both C and N to be absorbed by the surface of steel at the
carbonitriding temperature.
 Although a wide variety of gas mixtures are used, typical composition
is: 15 % anhydrous ammonia, 5 % natural gas, 80 % carrier gas (a
mixture of N2, H2 and CO).
 Heating temperature range is 650 – 885 °C, lower than those used for
gas carburising.
 Case depth rarely exceeds 0.02 in (due to lower heating temperatures).
 No change in chemical composition of steel.

 The steel should be capable of being hardened


(carbon content in the range of 0.3 to 0.6 %).

In induction hardening, the surface of the steel is heated quickly


using high-frequency (10-500 kHz) induction current, and then
quenched in water.
Only surface of steel is austenetised during heating, so that martensite
is produced only at the surface. The temperature of core remained
below the lower critical and no change has occurred.

In flame hardening, the surface of the steel is heated quickly using


oxyacetylene torch, and then quenched in water. A structure similar to
that obtained in induction hardening is obtained.
Flame hardening

Typical work coils used for high frequency induction


hardening and heat patterns developed by each unit

You might also like