1996 Volume 36 Issue 7 Pages 759-763
Two different nitriding surface treatments of austenitic stainless steel have been studied: gaseous nitriding in a NH3-H2 mixture performed at temperatures between 700 and 900°C and nitrogen ion implantation with different dose rates between 5×1016 to 1.5×1017 N2+ ions cm–2 and different current densities between 1 to 5 μA cm–2. The microstructure of the coating was studied by X-ray diffraction and Mössbauer spectroscopy. The discussion emphasizes the role of thermodynamical equilibrium conditions at high temperatures and of the process parameters at low temperatures on the phases which constitute the layer.
