Effect of nitrocarburizing and argon admixing on low carbon steel for component facility in radiometallurgical installation

Authors

  • Erwan Hermawan Center for Nuclear Fuel Research and Technology, Nuclear Energy Research Organization, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Gd. 20, Kawasan Nuklir Serpong, PUSPIPTEK, Banten 15314, Indonesia
  • Suprapto Suprapto Center for Accelerator Research and Technology, Nuclear Energy Research Organization, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Jl. Babarsari, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta 55281, Indonesia
  • Usman SUDJADI Center for Nuclear Fuel Research and Technology, Nuclear Energy Research Organization, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Gd. 20, Kawasan Nuklir Serpong, PUSPIPTEK, Banten 15314, Indonesia
  • Siti SHALEHA Center for Nuclear Fuel Research and Technology, Nuclear Energy Research Organization, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Gd. 20, Kawasan Nuklir Serpong, PUSPIPTEK, Banten 15314, Indonesia
  • Maman Kartaman AJIRIYANTO Center for Nuclear Fuel Research and Technology, Nuclear Energy Research Organization, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Gd. 20, Kawasan Nuklir Serpong, PUSPIPTEK, Banten 15314, Indonesia

Keywords:

Nitrocarburizing, Gas, Low carbon steel

Abstract

Steel is an important component in the industrialized world with rising growth in world consumption. Steel has wide applications due to its high strength, durability, and cost-effectiveness. This has applications in the nuclear power plant. In Indonesian nuclear industry, low carbon steel is used not only for the fabrication of reactor components but also for the radiometallurgical facilities. However, to avoid the risk of premature failure and enhance the longevity of the components in the service condition, surface modification for the improvement of hardness has been realized. Amongst several methods, surface hardening by following nitrocarburizing has been found to be a successful and cost-effective method. Nitrocarburizing enable the formation of desirable phases of FexN (x = 2-3, 4) in the compound layer and also in the diffusion layers. In the present study nitrocarburizing had been followed at variable gas ratio and temperatures. A gas mixture of 10% C2H2, 50% argon, and 40% nitrogen had been fed into the reactor. The results show that there is an increase in hardness value, by addition of argon gas up to 50% in the nitrocarburizing process, making the sample harder. With the variation of temperature the enhancement of hardness could be achieved up to 7% to 10% of the initial hardness. When compared with previous studies, the maximum addition of argon is in the range of 10% to 30% because it provides a more optimal increase in hardness.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

World Steel Association, 2020 World Steel in Figures, 2020, p 7.

S. N. Abdullah, N. Sazali, and A.S. Jamaludin, “Study of low carbon steel in rapid cooling process: A short review,” Journal of Modern Manufacturing Systems and Technology, vol. 4, pp. 52-59, 2020.

Sungkono, M. K. Ajiriyanto, S. Ismawanti, and R. Sigit, “characterization of microstructure, hardness, chemical composition and crystal structure of layers on steel surface,” Urania, vol. 25, no. 3, pp 141-204, 2019.

M. A. J. Somers, “Nitriding and nitrocarburizing; current status and future challenges,” Paper presented at Heat Treat & Surface Engineering Conference & Expo 2013, Chennai, India.

M. J. Scheneider, and M. S. Chatterjee, “Introduction to surface hardening of steels,” ASM Handboook, vol. 4A, pp. 389-398, 2013.

P. Cisquini, S. V. Ramos, P. R. P. Viana, V. de Freitas Cunha Lins, A. R. Franco, and E. A. Vieira, “Effect of the roughness produced by plasma nitrocarburizing on corrosion resistance Of AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel,” Jounal of Surface & Coatings Technology, vol. 204, pp. 3004-3008, 2019.

D. dos Santos Filho, A. P. Tschiptschin, and H. Goldenstein, “Effects of shallow plasma nitriding on the surface topography of gray cast iron specimens,” Surface & Coatings Technology, vol. 404, p. 126464, 2019.

K. R. M. Rao, C. Nouveau, and K. Trinadh, “Effects on corrosion resistance of low alloy steel after plasma nitriding at elevated temperature,” Materials Today Proceedings, vol. 17, pp. 26-33, 2019.

S. M. Jafarpour, A. Puth, A. Dalke, J. Bocker, A. Pipa, J. Ropcke, J.-P. H. V. Helden, and H. Biermann, “Solid carbon active screen plasma nitrocarburizing of AISI 316L stainless steel in cold wall reactor: Influence of plasma conditions”. Material Research and Technology. vol. 9. no. 4, pp. 9195-9205, 2020.

L.Tang, C. Mao, W. Jia, K. Wei, and J. Hu, “The effect of novel composite pretreatment on performances of plasma nitrided layer,” Material Research and Technology, vol. 9, no. 5, pp. 9531-9536, 2020.

C. E. Foerster, A. Assmann, S. L. R. D. Silva, and F. C. N. Borges, “AISI 304 nitrocarburized at low temperature: Mechanical and tribological properties,” Surface & Coatings Technology, vol. 204, pp. 3004-3008, 2010.

R. Huang, J. Wang, S. Zhong, M. Li, J. Xiong, and H. Fan, “Surface modification of 2205 duplex stainless steel by low temperature salt bath nitrocarburizing at 430℃,” Applied Surface Science, vol. 271, pp. 93-97, 2013.

A. D. Anjos, C. J. Scheuer, S. F. Brunatto, and R. P. Cardoso, “Low-temperature plasma nitrocarburizing of the AISI 420 martensitic stainless steel: Microstructure and process kinetics,” Surface & Coatings Technology, vol. 275, pp. 51-57, 2015.

H. Shen, and L. Wang, “Mechanism and properties of plasma nitriding AISI 420 stainless steel at low temperature and anodic (ground) potential,” Surface & Coatings Technology, vol. 403, p. 126390, 2020.

M. K. Zarchi, M. H. Shariat, S. A. Dehghan, and S. Solhjoo, “Characterization of nitrocarburized surface layer on AISI 1020 steel by electrolytic plasma processing in an urea electrolyte," Materials Research and Technology, vol. 2. no. 3, pp, 213-220, 2013.

Y.-W. Cho, Y.-J. Kang, J.-H. Baek, J.-H. Woo, and Y.-R. Cho, “Investigation of microstructure, nanohardness and corrosion resistance for oxi-nitrocarburized low carbon steel,” Metals, vol. 9, pp. 190, 2019.

F. A. P. Fernandes, L. C. Casteletti, and J. Gallego. “Microstructure of nitrided and nitrocarburized layers produced on a superaustenitic stainless steel,” Materials Research and Technology, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 158-164, 2013.

J. Z. L. Lu, W. N. Zhou, W. H. Zang, and K. Shiozawa, “Effects of nitrocarburizing on fatigue property of medium carbon steel in very high cycle regime,” Materials Science and Engineering, vol. 528, pp. 7060-7067, 2011.

I. Lee, “Combination of plasma nitriding and nitrocarburizing treatments of AISI 630 martensitic precipitation hardening stainless steel,” Surface & Coatings Technology, vol. 376, pp. 8-14, 2019.

Suprapto, T. Sujitno, W. Andriyanti, I. Aziz, E. M. Saefurrohman, and A. Anggraini, “Effect of post treatment and addition of argon gas on the properties of plasma nitrocarburized local disc brake materials,” in AIP Conference Proceedings, vol. 2296, p. 20085, 2020.

M. Naeem, J. Iqbal, M. Abrar, and K. H. Khan, “The effect of argon admixing on nitriding of plain carbon steel in N2 and N2-H2 plasma,” Surface & Coatings Technology, vol 350, pp. 48-56, 2018.

T. Islam, and H. M. M. A. Rashed, “Classification and application of plain carbon steels” in Materials Science and Materials Engineering, Elsevier. 2019

R. Singh, “Classification of steels,” in Applied Welding Engineering, R. Singh, Eds., 3rd ed., Butterworth Heinemann: Oxford, UK, 2020, pp. 53-60.

S. Suprapto, T. Sujitno, P. Aziz, and W. Andriyanti, “Effect of post treatment in argon environment of plasma nitrided local disc brake,” Advanced in Materials, vol. 8, no. 1. pp. 27-32, 2019.

U. Sudjadi, “Study about surface hardening on local disc brakes with direct current plasma nitrocarburizing apparatus,” Advanced Materials Research, vol. 789, pp. 383-386, 2013.

P. G. Reses, E. Mendez, D. Osorio-Gonzalez, F. Castillo, and H. Martinez, “Electron temperature and ion density measurements in a glow discharge of an Ar–N2 mixture,” Radiation Effects & Defects in Solids, vol 169, No. 4, pp. 285-292, 2014.

N. U. Rehman, Z. Anjum, A. Masood, M. Farooq, I. Ahmad, and M. Zakaullah, “Metrology of non-thermal capacitively coupled N2–Ar mixture plasma,” Optics Communications, vol. 296, pp. 72-78, 2013.

M. Tabbal, M. Kazpoulo, T. Chritidis, and S. Isber, “Enhancement of the molecular nitrogen dissociation levels by argon dilution in surfacewave-sustained plasmas,” Applied Physics Letters, vol. 78, no. 15, p. 2131, 2001.

M. A. J. Somers, “Heat treatment and surface engineering in the twenty-first century,” International Heat Treatment and Surface Engineering, vol. 5, pp. 5-16, 2011.

M. A. J. Somers, and E. J. Mittemeijer, “Verbindungsschichtbildung während des Gasnitrierens und des Gas- und Salzbadnitro-carburierens,” Heat Treatment and Materials vol. 47, pp. 5-13. 1992.

T. Woehrle, A. Leineweber, and E. J. Mittemeijer. “Microstructural and phase evolution of compound layers growing on α–iron during gaseous nitrocarburizing,” Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, vol. 43, no. 7, pp. 2401-2413, 2012

D. Pye, “Practical nitriding and ferritic nitrocarburizing,” ASM International Materials Park, Ohio, USA, pp. 31-32, 2003.

A. H. Razemani, A. H. Sari, and Ali Shokouhy. “The effects of argon ion bombardment on the corrosion resistance of tantalum,” International Nano Letters, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 51-57, 2021.

T. Christiansen, and M. A. J. Somers, “Low-temperature surface hardening of stainless steel,” Advanced Materials and Process, vol. 52, pp. 16-17. 2013.

M. A. Fontes, V. H. B. Scheid, D. de Souza Machado, L. C. Casteletti, and P. A. de Paula Nascente, “Morphology of the DIN 100Cr6 Case hardened steel after plasma nitrocarburizing process,” Material Research, vol. 22, pp. 1-6, 2019.

E. J. Mittemeijer, “Fundamentals of nitriding and nitrocarburizing”. In: Dossett J, Totten GE, eds. ASM Handbook, vol. 4A: Steel Heat Treating Fundamentals and Processes. Materials Park: ASM International, 2013

I. Lee, “Effect of processing temperatures on characteristics of surface layers of low temperature plasma nitrocarburized AISi 204 Cu austenitic stainless steel”. Transactions of Nonferrous Metals Society of China, vol. 22, pp. 678-682, 2012.

M. A. J. Somers, and E. J. Mittemeijer, “Formation and growth of compound layer on nitrocarburizing iron: kinetics and microstructural evolution,” Surface Engineering, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 123-137, 1987.

M. A. J. Somers, and E. J. Mittemeijer, “Layer-growth kinetics on gaseous nitriding of pure iron: evaluation of diffusion coefficient for nitrogen in iron nitride,” Metallurgical and Material Transactions, vol. 26A, pp. 57-74, 1995.

D. Pye, “Nitriding and Nitrocarburizing”. Encyclopedia of Tribology, pp. 2421-2428, 2013.

M. Reger, R. Horvath, A. Szell, T. Reti, V. Gonda, and Imre Felde, “The relationship between surface and in-depth hardness for the nitrocarburizing treatment process,” Metal, vol. 11, pp. 1-15. 2021.

Downloads

Published

2021-12-16

How to Cite

[1]
E. Hermawan, S. Suprapto, U. SUDJADI, S. SHALEHA, and M. K. . AJIRIYANTO, “Effect of nitrocarburizing and argon admixing on low carbon steel for component facility in radiometallurgical installation”, J Met Mater Miner, vol. 31, no. 4, pp. 26–32, Dec. 2021.

Issue

Vol. 31 No. 4 (2021)

Section

Original Research Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2021 Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish in this journal agree to the following terms:

    1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

 

    1. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.