Q Industry Insights es ces ‘Sule Surface Hardening Treatment of Steel (Case Hardening) swein f vw atl | ———o- 4 Hardened ste! Ione cre Shutterstok/PHOTOCRED Michal Bednarek Surface Hardening Treatment (Case Hardening) Many applications require high hardness or strength primarily atthe surface, and complex service stresses frequently require not only a hard, wear- resistant surface, but also care strength and toughness to withstand impact stress To achieve these different properties, wo general processes are used: 1) Th quenching and tempering; the processes used include carburizing, nitriding, cyaniding, and carbonitriding: and 2) Only the surface layer is hardened by the heating and quenching process; the most common processes used for surface hardening are flame hardening and induction hardening. ical composition of the surface is altered, prior to or ater Carburizng: Carbon is diffused into the parts surf led depth by heating the part in a carbonaceous medium. The resulting depth of tion, commonly referred to as case depth, depends en the carbon potential of the medium used and the time and temperature ofthe carburizing treatment, The steels most suitable for carburizing to enhance toughness are tho carbura uith sufficiently low carbon contents, usually below (0.3 percent. Carburizing temperatures range from 1550 to 1750°F (843 to 954°C), with the temperature and time at temperature adjusted to obtain various case depths, Steel selection, hardenabilty and type of quench are determined by section size, desired core hardness, and service requirements Three types of carburizing are mast often used2. Gas carburizing Iwowes heating ine steel in 2 Gas of conl‘aled carbon content When used, the earoon level in the case can be closely controlled 3. Pack carburizing, which involves sealing both the steel and solid carbonaceous material ina gas-tight container, then heating this combination, With any of these methods, the part may be either quenched after the carburizing cycle without reheating or air-cooled fllowed by reheating to the austenitizing temperature prior to quenching. The case depth may be varied to suit the conditions of loading in service. However, service characteristics frequently require that only selective areas of 2 part have tobe case hardened. Covering the areas not to be cased, with copper plating. ora layer of commercial paste allows the carbon to penetrate only the exposed areas, Another method involves carburizing the entire part, then removing the case in selected areas by machining, prior to quench hardening Nitriding The steel partis heated to a temperature of $00-1150°F (482 to 621°C) in an atmosphere of ammonia gas and dissociated ammonia for an extended period of time that depends on the case depth desired, A thin, very hard case results from the formation of nitrides. Strong ntvide-forming elements (chromium and molybdenum) are required to be present inthe steel, and often special nonstandard grades containing alurninum (a strong nitride former) are used. The major advantage ofthis process is that parts can be quenched and tempered, then machined, little distortion accurs during nitriding ing, because only @ Cyaniding This process involves heating the part in a bath of sodium cyanide to a temperature slightly above the transformation range, followed by quenching, to obtain a thin case of high hardness. Carbonitriding This process is similar to cyaniding except that the absorption of carton and nitrogen is accomplished by heating the part ina gaseous atmosphere: containing hydrocarbons and ammonia, Temperatures of 1425-1625°F (774 to 885°C) are used for parts to be quenched, and lower temperatures, 1200-1450°F (649 to 788°C), may be used where a liquid quench is nt required Flame Hardening ‘This process involves rapid heating witha direct high-temperature gas flame, such that the surface layer of the partis heated above the transformation range, followed by cooling ata rate that causes the desired hardening. Stee!s for flame hardening are usualy in the range of 0.30: 0.60 percent carban, with hardenabilty appropriate for the case depth desired and the quenchant used, The quenchant is usualy sprayed on the surface a short distance behind the heating flame. Immediate tempering is required and may be done in a conventional furnace or by a flame~ ‘tempering process, depending on part size and costs Induction Hardening This process is similarin many respects to flame hardening except thatthe heating is caused by a high-frequency electric current sent through a coll cr inductor surrounding the part. The depth of heating depends on the frequency, the rate of heat conduction from the surface, and the length of the heating cycle. Quenching is usually accomplished with a water spray introduced atthe proper time through jets in or near the inductor block or coil In some instances, however, parts are oll-quenched by immersing them ina bath of il after they reach the hardening temperature. Summary This article described the primary methods of steel surface hardening: Learn more about the properties of materials from the Machinery's Handbook, 30th Edition, which is published and available fram Industrial Pvess an Amazon To locate sources of supply for case hardening services, case hardening furnaces, case hardening coatings, or case hardening & tempering ‘comgounds, vist the Thomas Supplier Discovery Platform where you can locate potential sources of supply for over 70,000 different product and service categories Other Stee! Articles al Steel Shapes + Types of Struct «+ Top Manufacturers and Suaaliers of eb + Tipes of Rebar + Tipos of Stoo! «+ Typas of Stainless Steel+ AllAbout $2100 Steel + Prot Compositions, and Ay + AllAbout 9266 Properties, Strength, + AllAbout 4120 Stee! 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