Host: The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers
Name : [in Japanese]
Date : September 08, 2024 - September 11, 2024
Gas nitrocarburizing is widely used for surface modification of steel parts because it is effective in improving wear resistance, fatigue strength, seizure resistance, and corrosion resistance of steel, and the heat treatment strain is minimal. However, the gas nitrocarburizing process has various problems, such as the long treatment time and the use of ammonia gas. In this study, we developed an atmospheric-pressure plasma jet nitrocarburizing process, which has short treatment time, low environmental load, and easy partial treatment. As a research method uses an atmospheric pressure plasma jet device and uses nitrogen, argon, and methane as the operating gases. Plasma was generated and the plasma spectrum was analyzed simultaneously with the nitrocarburizing process. As a result, luminescence due to N₂, CH, and C₂ was observed. The surface hardness of the nitrocarburized sample increased by 1.2 to 1.6 times compared to the untreated sample after 30 minutes of treatment time, and the hardened layer was 50 μm.
