CHEMICAL HEAT

Angelica B. Alvizo

TREATMENT
employs thermal
diffusion to
incorporate non-
metal or metal
atoms into a
material surface
to modify its
chemistry and
NITRIDING
o incorporation of nitrogen into the
surface of steel while it is in ferritic
state (alpha phase) at 500-550 deg C
 o only applicable to steels containing nitride-forming
elements (Al, Cr, Mn, Mo, V) responsible to the
formation of a nitride layer or referred to as white
layer

connected to a diffusion zone, in which

white the precipitated nitrides are evenly
layer distributed in the steel matrix

o no additional heat treatment required

following nitriding, thus surface
hardness is developed without
quenching.
Nitriding Methods
1.Gas nitriding or Ammonia nitriding
2.Salt Bath Nitriding
3.Plasma or Ion Nitriding

Increase in hardness
Property
Increased wear resistance
Variations Improved corrosion resistance
Improved fatigue life
Increased load bearing capacity
 CARBURIZING
o aka case hardening
o enrich surface layers of steel or other alloys with
carbon by diffusing carbon atoms to a steel, which
has been austenitized, for a certain period of time
then quenched in oil or air then heated again to
austenitic T
 o applied to low carbon steels, maximum of 0.2 wt%
C due to its reliance to diffusion of carbon atoms
o time required to achieve desired hardness is inversely
proportional to the temperature the steel was
austenitized to, and to the amount of carburizing agent

Property High wear resistance

Variation surface yet maintained
toughness and strength
Types of Carburizing at the core
1.Pack 4. Vacuum
2.Gas 5. Plasma
3.Liquid or Salt Bath
FERRITIC NITROCARBURIZING
o nitrogen and carbon are supplied to the
surface of steel in ferritic state at T
usually between 500 and 580 deg C
Thermal diffusion
of N and C in
Ferritic State steel Austenitic State
Nitriding Carburizing
Nitrocarburizing Carbonitriding
High wear resistance
Proper Anti-scuffing properties
Anti-seizing properties
ty Increased corrosion resistance
CARBONITRIDING
o a source of nitrogen is added to the carburizing
atmosphere which results in simultaneous incorporation
of carbon and nitrogen into alloy surface
o a two-step treatment, conducted at temperatures of
800-940 deg C in an environment containing both
carbon and nitrogen and is followed by quenching and
low T tempering or stress relieving
Improved toughness
Propert Low hardenability
y Increases hardness & wear resistance
Variatio Delays tempering
BORONIZING
o aka boriding
o the surface layer of material is saturated with boron
o The process is performed in solid, liquid or gaseous
medium and is applicable to any ferrous material as well
as to alloys of Ni, Co or Ti.
o In steel, it is carried out at 840-1050 deg C for up to 10
h changing surface structure that will contain borides
FeB and Fe2B, which Improved
have wear resistance
a needle-like structure and
Propert
hardness
Corrosion and oxidation
y resistance
Brittleness of compound layer
CHROMIZING
o enrich surface layers of an alloy with chromium either
by powder pack, salt bath or fluidized bed
o Changes in structure include formation of compound surface
layer by a reaction between the carbide former, such as Cr
deposited on the surface and carbon in the substrate
o Applicable only to alloys containing less than 0.2%wt C

Propert Improved wear and corrosion

y resistance
High T oxidation resistance
Variatio
Extended service life*
ns
THERMO-MECHANICAL
TREATMENT
o integrates work hardening (plastic
deformation) and heat-treatment into a
single process
o made possible by presence of structural
imperfections such as dislocations, stacking
faults, and vacancies
Application in Rebar
Steel
1. . Steel billets ("pencil ingots") are heated to
approximately 1100C in a reheat furnace. Then,
they are progressively rolled to reduce the billets to
the final size and shape of reinforcing bar. After the
last rolling stand, the billet moves through a quench
box.
2. Quenching of the surface layer of the bar, which
pressurizes and deforms the crystal structure of
intermediate layers, and simultaneously tempering the
quenched layers using heat from the bars core.
Resulting Structure
The bars therefore exhibit a variation in microstructure in their
cross section, having strong, tough, tempered martensite in the
surface layer of the bar, an intermediate layer of martensite and
bainite, and a refined, tough and ductile ferrite and pearlite core.