Abstract

DIAZ-GUILLEN, J. C. et al. Effect of pulsed plasma nitriding temperature on microstructure properties of AISI 304 stainless steel. Superf. vacío [online]. 2007, vol.20, n.4, pp.1-3. ISSN 1665-3521.

This study reports the surface modification of AISI 304 stainless steel by applying nitrogen ion implantation by low energy plasma at different temperatures (380°C, 400°C, 440°C). The temperature of the samples was adjusted by varying the implantation pulse width while keeping the voltage constant at 1.5 kV. Microstructure and phase characterization were carried out by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD) respectively. The surface hardness was determined by Knoop measurements, and the results show that the treatment increases up to two times the substrate hardness value. Additionally, it was found a direct dependence between the substrate temperature and the nitrided layer thickness. X-ray diffraction patterns indicate the shift of the peaks of the treated samples to lower angles than those of the untreated samples, which is a clear signature of expanded austenite.

Keywords : Surface Treatments; Surface Hardening; Nitriding.