Low Temperature Nitriding of a Martensitic Stainless Steel

Nitriding is as an effective technique applied for many years to improve the surface hardness and wear resistance of low carbon and tool steels [1]. In the case of stainless steels, increase of surface hardness and wear resistance accompany by a drop in corrosion resistance due to the precipitation of CrN. In this respect, many attempts have been made to modify the surfaces of austenitic stainless steels to increase their surface hardness and wear resistance without scarifying the corrosion resistance [2-6]. It is finally concluded that, nitriding at temperatures lower than conventional nitriding process (which is generally about 550°C) has potentiality to produce a nitrogen expanded austenite (also known as S-phase), on the surface without formation of CrN. Due to the superb properties of the S-phase, the low temperature nitrided austenitic stainless steels exhibit very high surface hardness, a good wear resistance, and more importantly, an excellent corrosion resistance. Recently some attempts have been made to apply low temperature nitriding to martensitic stainless steels, which are widely used in the industries of medicine, food, mold and other civil areas [7-9]. In these works, where nitriding has been conducted by plasma processes, superior surface hardness, along with excellent wear and corrosion resistances have been reported for AISI 410 and AISI 420 grade martensitic stainless steels. This work focuses on low temperature gas nitriding of AISI 420 grade martensitic stainless steel in a fluidized bed reactor. In this respect the microstructures, phase compositions, hardness, wear and corrosion behaviours of the original and nitrided martensitic stainless steels have been compared.