Activated solution nitriding of stainless steels

The solution nitriding of the stainless steels can be optimized by a two stage process. The first stage involves an surface activation and an enrichment of nitrogen in the case due to internal nitriding. After this step at temperatures between 1070 degrees C and 1150 degrees C follows the dissolution of the chromium nitrides and a solution nitriding. Investigations of ferritic, martensitic and austenitic steels showed that this technology is superior compared to the one stage technology. The treatment time for an given layer thickness in the high temperature stage is cut in halve. The case concentration of nitrogen can be controlled by a material specific choice of the treatment temperature and the partial pressure of nitrogen. For the investigated steels the desired microstructure of the case could be achieved by partial pressures of nitrogen between 0,35 an I bar The solution nitriding of ferritic-martensitic steels eneables the production of martensitic cases with a hardnesses up to 700 HV 0,3. An austenitic case with higher hardness and stability of the austenit can be produced by enrichment the surface of austenitic and ferritic-austenitic stainless steels with nitrogen.