A Novel Duplex Low-temperature Chromizing Process at 500oC
A Novel Duplex Low-temperature Chromizing Process at 500℃

An optimized low-temperature chromizing process at 500℃ was realized on a plain medium-carbon steel with 0.45 wt pct carbon via a duplex chromizing process which consists of a precursor plasma nitriding, and a followed salt bath thermoreactive deposition and diffusion （TRD） chromizing process. CrN layer with a thin diffusion layer underneath was formed. The duplex chromizing process was studied by optical microscopy （OM）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy （EDS）, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. It was found that the chromizing speed at 500℃ was successfully enhanced by adding more Cr-Fe powders into the salt bath, and the CrN layer formed at the cost of the prior nitride compound layer. A CrN layer with average 8.1/~m in thickness and 1382 HV0.01 in microhardness was formed on the substrate by duplex chromizing at 500℃ for 24 h. Further more, the CrN layer consisted of nanocrystalline CrN grains.