Effect of hydrogen on the process of ion nitriding of austenitic steel 12Kh18N10T

Abstract

The effect of hydrogen in a mixture of working gas on the diffusion processes during ion nitriding of austenitic steel 12X18H10T was investigeted. Dependence of the depth of the hardened layer on the hydrogen content in the range of 10 to 30% is obtained. Similarly, the microhardness distribution is obtained from the depth of the diffusion zone under various treatment regimes. It is proved that an increase in the hydrogen content from 10 to 20% makes it possible to significantly intensify the process of diffusion saturation. It has been established that the brittleness of the nitrided layer increases with the rise in the hydrogen content (over 15%) in the working gas mixture. The authors give recommendations on the choice of the optimal hydrogen content for ion nitriding.