Nitriding of High Speed Steel for Improvement of Tools Resistance

The article is devoted to the study of the gas nitriding process, which makes it possible to obtain high-quality diffusion layers in high-speed steel M2 on the basis of an internal nitriding zone without a brittle nitride zone. The results of studies of the nitrided steel phase composition with a change of the saturating atmosphere during dilution of ammonia by hydrogen are presented. An increase in the resistance of the nitrided tool when drilling structural steel is shown, which is associated with the dispersion hardening of the internal nitriding zone with tungsten nitrides.

Experimental study of gas diffusion layers nonlinear orthotropic behavior

One of the most important components of PEMFC is the gas diffusion layer (GDL), owing to its key role in the reactant diffusion, water management, thermal and electron conductivity. Therefore, the GDL must have an optimal stiffness to ensure these transport functions during numerous hydrothermal cycles. The understanding of its behavior is still a remaining issue. Its orthotropic mechanical behavior requires a series of mechanical characterizations in the plane of the fibers and out of plane. In addition, there are different manufacturing processes for GDL in sheet or roll form to optimize its functional properties. A macro porous layer (MPL) or different PTFE contents might be added by different manufacturers to optimize its performance. In this study, we have performed several mechanical tests differentiating between in plane and out of plane properties in order to characterize different GDLs available on the market. All of the experimental work has been done in the machine (MD) and cross machine direction (CD) according to the fiber orientation. The different GDL types were then classified into categories presenting similar mechanical response.

The Role of Fluorinated Polymers in the Water Management of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells: A Review

As the hydrogen market is projected to grow in the next decades, the development of more efficient and better-performing polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) is certainly needed. Water management is one of the main issues faced by these devices and is strictly related to the employment of fluorinated materials in the gas diffusion medium (GDM). Fluorine-based polymers are added as hydrophobic agents for gas diffusion layers (GDL) or in the ink composition of microporous layers (MPL), with the goal of reducing the risk of membrane dehydration and cell flooding. In this review, the state of the art of fluorinated polymers for fuel cells is presented. The most common ones are polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP), however, other compounds such as PFA, PVDF, PFPE, and CF4 have been studied and reported. The effects of these materials on device performances are analyzed and described. Particular attention is dedicated to the influence of polymer content on the variation of the fuel cell component properties, namely conductivity, durability, hydrophobicity, and porosity, and on the PEMFC behavior at different current densities and under multiple operating conditions.

The effect of stadial nitrogenization on the structure and properties of martensitic steel 13X11N2V2MF

A new method of gas nitriding is presented, which produces obtaining high-quality diffusion layers that meet the requirements of the use for various purposes, including aviation ones. Peculiar properties of highly alloyed martensitic steel nitriding after stadial thermo-gas-cyclic nitrogenization under partially dissociated ammonia with air additives have been examined. The results of metallographic studies, diagnostic leach, tests for wear resistance, impact hardness and corrosion stability, depending on the test mode are presented.

Features of the Structure Formation of Diffusion Boride Layers upon Preliminary Activation

The features of the structure formation of diffusion layers obtained by technology, including preliminary surface treatment of steel products made of U8 steel and subsequent boriding in powder media, have been investigated. The pretreatment consisted of dynamic alloying in the superdeep penetration (SDP) mode with a SiC-based powder composition. As a result, the thickness of the diffusion layer increases, its porosity decreases, and the proportion of the high-boron FeB phase in the layer increases.