A Novel Duplex Low-temperature Chromizing Process at 500

TB3; 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 8.1μm 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.