scholarly journals Microstructural Characterization and Formation Mechanism of Nitrided Layers on Aluminum Substrates by Thermal Plasma Nitriding

Metals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Li ◽  
Weida Xin ◽  
Xiaoyi Zheng ◽  
Zhen’an Ren ◽  
Daqian Sun ◽  
...  

Nitrided layers on 6082 aluminum alloy substrates and 1060 aluminum substrates are formed at atmospheric pressure using thermal nitrogen plasma, which only takes seconds to form a millimeter-level layer. The nitrided layers are composed of aluminum nitride (AlN) and aluminum solid solution phases. Microstructures in these nitrided layers can be divided into three regions from bottom to top: the transition region, the dendrite region, and the lamella region. These regions are formed in sequence. The formation mechanisms and processes of the three regions are discussed in detail. Furthermore, we found that Al melt is transported upward through the voids and the capillaries in the AlN structures, and reacts with N plasma in the melt surface. The growth of the AlN structures promotes this transport. With the increase of N2 flow rates from 1 L/min to 7.5 L/min, both the hardness and the wear resistance of the nitrided layers are improved, and the nitrided layer becomes thicker.

2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 2021-2028 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Milani ◽  
R.P. Cardoso ◽  
T. Belmonte ◽  
C.A. Figueroa ◽  
C.A. Perottoni ◽  
...  

High temperature plasma nitriding of yttria-partially-stabilized zirconia in atmospheric pressure microwave plasma was investigated. The morphological, mechanical, and physicochemical characteristics of the resulting nitrided layer were characterized by different methods, such as optical and scanning electron microscopy, microindentation, x-ray diffraction, narrow resonant nuclear reaction profiling, secondary neutral mass spectrometry, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, aiming at investigating the applicability of this highly efficient process for nitriding of ceramics. The structure of the plasma nitrided layer was found to be complex, composed of tetragonal and cubic zirconia, as well as zirconium nitride and oxynitride. The growth rate of the nitrided layer, 4 µm/min, is much higher than that obtained by any other previous nitriding process, whereas a typical 50% increase in Vickers hardness over that of yttria-partially-stabilized zirconia was observed.


2012 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 991-1023 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Koeta ◽  
N. Blin-Simiand ◽  
W. Faider ◽  
S. Pasquiers ◽  
A. Bary ◽  
...  

Coatings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 112
Author(s):  
Fuyao Yan ◽  
Jiawei Yao ◽  
Baofeng Chen ◽  
Ying Yang ◽  
Yueming Xu ◽  
...  

Decarburization is generally avoided as it is reckoned to be a process detrimental to material surface properties. Based on the idea of duplex surface engineering, i.e., nitriding the case-hardened or through-hardened bearing steels for enhanced surface performance, this work deliberately applied decarburization prior to plasma nitriding to cancel the softening effect of decarburizing with nitriding and at the same time to significantly promote the nitriding kinetics. To manifest the applicability of this innovative duplex process, low-carbon M50NiL and high-carbon M50 bearing steels were adopted in this work. The influence of decarburization on microstructures and growth kinetics of the nitrided layer over the decarburized layer is investigated. The metallographic analysis of the nitrided layer thickness indicates that high carbon content can hinder the growth of the nitrided layer, but if a short decarburization is applied prior to nitriding, the thickness of the nitrided layer can be significantly promoted. The analysis of nitriding kinetics shows that decarburization reduces the activation energy for nitrogen diffusion and enhances nitrogen diffusivity. Moreover, the effect of decarburization in air can promote surface microstructure refinement via spinodal decomposition during plasma nitriding.


Coatings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 201
Author(s):  
Elisangela Aparecida dos Santos de Almeida ◽  
Julio Cesar Giubilei Milan ◽  
César Edil da Costa ◽  
Cristiano Binder ◽  
José Daniel Biasoli de Mello ◽  
...  

In cold rolling, a textured roll can be used to imprint a desired surface topography onto the sheet during rolling. This work proposes the use of diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings to protect the surface topography of the rolls in replacement of the carcinogenic hard chrome. For that, hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) was deposited on plasma nitrided tool steel, both for ground and textured specimens. Changes in surface topography due to DLC coating were assessed using a confocal microscope. Coating adhesion was evaluated using the method VDI 3198. The specimens were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), microhardness test and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The coating was characterized using Raman spectroscopy (RS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results showed a soft multilayer coating consisting of a plasma nitrided layer for load support, a Si-rich interlayer to improve adhesion and an a-C:H top layer. DLC deposition reduced the roughness of the textured specimens. The coating resulted in relatively stable friction and good durability, with small damage and negligible wear even under dry sliding.


1992 ◽  
Vol 280 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. David Theodore ◽  
Gordon Tam

ABSTRACTSiGe alloys have recently been of interest for fabrication of heterojunction bipolar transistors using pre-existing or modified silicon-processing technology. These devices are faster than devices using pure silicon. Because of the interest in developing SiGe device structures, various elements of processing relevant to fabrication of the devices are being investigated. One such element has been the use of thermal oxidation for isolation of SiGe devices. Utilization of the technique requires an understanding of oxidation behavior of SiGe layers under a variety of oxidation conditions. Past studies in the literature have investigated the oxidation of SiGe at atmospheric pressure or at very high pressures (∼650–1300 atmospheres). The present study investigates the wet-oxidation of SiGe structures at intermediate pressures (∼25 atmospheres) and temperatures (∼750°C). Unlike atmospheric oxidation, most of the Ge (from SiGe) remains in the oxidized silicon (SiO2) in the form of GeO2. Occasional segregation of Ge to the oxidizing interface is noted. The microstructural behavior of partially and entirely oxidized structures is presented.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 (0) ◽  
pp. 437-438
Author(s):  
Ryuta Ichiki ◽  
Hirokazu Nagamatsu ◽  
Takashi Inoue ◽  
Masashi Yoshida ◽  
Shuichi Akamine ◽  
...  

Coatings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1122
Author(s):  
Dongjing Liu ◽  
Yuan You ◽  
Mufu Yan ◽  
Hongtao Chen ◽  
Rui Li ◽  
...  

In order to explore the effect of the addition of rare earth (RE) to a steel microstructure and the consequent performance of a nitrided layer, plasma nitriding was carried out on 38CrMoAl steel in an atmosphere of NH3 at 550 °C for 4, 8, and 12 h. The modified layers were characterized using an optical microscope (OM), a microhardness tester, X-ray diffraction (XRD), a scanning electron microscope (SEM), a transmission electron microscope (TEM), and an electrochemical workstation. After 12 h of nitriding without RE, the modified layer thickness was 355.90 μm, the weight gain was 3.75 mg/cm2, and the surface hardness was 882.5 HV0.05. After 12 h of RE nitriding, the thickness of the modified layer was 390.8 μm, the weight gain was 3.87 mg/cm2, and the surface hardness was 1027 HV0.05. Compared with nitriding without RE, the ε-Fe2-3N diffraction peak was enhanced in the RE nitriding layer. After 12 h of RE nitriding, La, LaFeO3, and a trace amount of Fe2O3 appeared. The corrosion rate of the modified layer was at its lowest (15.089 × 10−2 mm/a), as was the current density (1.282 × 10−5 A/cm2); therefore, the corrosion resistance improved.


Author(s):  
zhongyang Ma ◽  
Hongmei Sun ◽  
Huan Zheng ◽  
Yanjun Zhao ◽  
Siyuan Sui ◽  
...  

Abstract The application of aluminum is often limited by low hardness, and plasma nitriding can make it have excellent mechanical property. The purpose of this study is to nitride the aluminum surface by non-thermal transferred arc plasma technology. During the plasma nitriding process, the maximum effective value of output current is about 390 mA and the overall temperature of the samples is much lower than the solidus temperature. It is found that the microstructure and mechanical properties of the aluminum surface are improved by adding hydrogen into the nitrogen plasma. Compared with the surface treated by pure N2 plasma, the particle size of aluminum surface treated by N2/H2 plasma is smaller. The surface hardness of aluminum is nearly doubled after being treated in 6.0 vol%H2 + 94.0 vol%N2 atmosphere.


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