A low temperature (420 °C or less), plasma-based interstitial hardening (IH) process that introduces substantial amounts of nitrogen into A286 and 2205 stainless steels was investigated. The IH-treatment provided surface nitrogen concentrations as high as 26 at% and has been shown to significantly improve the pitting resistance of A286 austenitic (UNS S66286) stainless steel. In the case of 2205 duplex (UNS S31803) stainless steel, the pitting resistance is maintained while the crevice corrosion resistance is significantly improved, in ambient temperature 0.6 M NaCl solutions. The surface N concentrations and localized corrosion resistances were dependent on treatment temperature and time. The results also showed significant increases in surface hardness, again dependent on treatment temperature and time.

Subject
Hardening, X-ray diffraction, Steel surfaces, Stainless alloys, Surface hardness, Plasma, Sodium chloride solution, Nitrogen, Crevice corrosion, Pitting, Corrosion resistance, Stainless steel, Nitriding
Keywords:
interstitial hardening, plasma nitriding, pitting corrosion, crevice corrosion, hardness
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2012
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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