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Effect of arc current on the microstructure, tribological and corrosion performances of AISI 420 martensitic stainless steel treated by arc discharge plasma nitriding

  • Metals & corrosion
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Abstract

Arc discharge plasma nitriding (ADPN) of stainless steel was achieved using the thermionic electrons generated from column arc discharge to ionize the working gas to form a high-energy plasma. The column arc current is a key influential factor in the ADPN technique. AISI 420 martensite stainless steel (420 SS) was nitrided at a low temperature of ~ 440 °C to improve its mechanical properties and corrosion resistance using a highly efficient low-pressure ADPN technique. The arc plasma was generated by applying arc currents ranging from 100 to 130 A. The results of arc currents on the microstructure, mechanical characteristics, tribological properties, and corrosion performance of treated layers were investigated. The results revealed that the nitrided layers are primarily composed of expanded martensite (αN), Fe4N and Fe2-3 N, and a high arc current leads to the formation of a compound layer composed of Fe2-3 N and Fe4N. The surface microhardness and wear resistance of 420 SS were greatly improved following ADPN compared with conventional plasma nitriding. The samples treated at the higher arc current have a thicker nitrided layer and a tough surface with a higher fraction of Fe2-3 N, which shows the best wear and corrosion performance.

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Acknowledgements

This work has been supported by the Key Research and Development Program of Anhui Province (2022h11020017), the Outstanding Youth Fund of Anhui Province (2108085J22), the Open Project of China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base on Intelligent Equipment Manufacturing in Special Service Environment (ISTC2021KF01), and the Anhui Provincial Natural Science Research Key Program of Higher Education Institutions (KJ2021A1061).

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Author notes

  1. Jie Li and Xiao Tao contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Green Fabrication and Surface Technology of Advanced Metal Materials, Ministry of Education, Anhui University of Technology, Maanshan, 243002, People’s Republic of China

    Jie Li, Wangpeng Wu, Guangrui Xie, Yang Yang, Xiang Zhou & Shihong Zhang

  2. Key Laboratory of Construction Hydraulic Robots of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Tongling University, Tongling, 244002, People’s Republic of China

    Jie Li

  3. China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base On Intelligent Equipment Manufacturing in Special Service Environment, 243032, Maanshan, People’s Republic of China

    Jie Li, Wangpeng Wu & Yang Yang

  4. School of Metallurgy and Materials, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK

    Xiao Tao

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  1. Jie Li
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Correspondence to Yang Yang or Shihong Zhang.

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Li, J., Tao, X., Wu, W. et al. Effect of arc current on the microstructure, tribological and corrosion performances of AISI 420 martensitic stainless steel treated by arc discharge plasma nitriding. J Mater Sci 58, 2294–2309 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-023-08161-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-023-08161-8