EFFECT OF SILICON ON VACUUM-CARBURIZING DEPTH OF IRON COMPACTS

This study focused on the effect of silicon on vacuum carburizing of iron compacts with a density >7.2 g/cm(3). An attempt was made to determine the effectiveness of silicon on increasing the 1 carbon diffusion rate into the compacts. To reduce the influence of porosity, the level of interconnected porosity was minimized. 1 Vacuum carburizing of the compacts with silicon additions was carried out at 1,050 degrees C in a laboratory vacuum furnace. The effect of silicon over the range 0.5 w/o to 2.0 w/o on the vacuum-carburizing depth was analyzed. It was found that silicon additions up to 1 w/o increased the carburized depth by similar to 35% compared with iron in the absence of silicon.