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Quenching and tempering of steel are carried out to provide mechanical properties that are suitable for the intended future use. The steel is heated to the appropriate hardening temperature of the, held at this temperature and then cooled in various media. This is followed by tempering that provides the final mechanical properties and relieves the tensions in the steel. The actual conditions of the process parameters depend on the composition of the steel, the size of the workpiece, and the required final properties given by the client. The workpiece receives a rough mechanical treatment in its soft state prior to the quenching and tempering to ensure the final mechanical properties of the material.
Carburizing is a case hardening process in which metal part or component with a low carbon content is heated in a carbon-rich atmosphere. The process of heating the component in a high-carbon environment allows for diffusion of carbon atoms directly into the surface of the workpiece that needs to be tempered. The amount of carbon and required depth of the carbon that diffuses into the surface of the workpiece during the process depends on the carbon potential of the atmosphere, the temperature, and the exposure time. Higher temperatures, longer cycle times, and higher carbon potentials will increase the amount of the carbon diffused into the surface and the depth case.
The hardening of both case and core of the material occurs when the material is rapidly quenched. The quenching is followed by tempering to the hardness required by the customer. Tempering dramatically improves ductility and toughness with minor loss in hardness and strength.
Carburizing properties
Applications
Carbonitriding is a surface case hardening process that produces a thin, high hardness layer. This modification consists of introducing ammonia into the carburizing atmosphere to allow the nitrogen from the ammonia to be added to the carburized case as it forms. This thermochemical treatment diffuses both carbon and nitrogen into the surface of the component simultaneously.
Carbonitriding is usually performed at lower temperatures with shorter cycle times, which results in shallower depths than in the cementation process. The diffusion depth of the carbonitriding process usually ranges from 0.1mm to 0.4mm. The addition of nitrogen to the atmosphere with carbon potential consequently increases the hardness of the surface. This allows plain carbon and lower alloy steels to be case hardened successfully with complete transformation to martensite and obtain the best possible mechanical properties.
Carbonitriding properties
Applications
