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A Hybrid Plasma Treatment of H13 Tool Steel by Combining Plasma Nitriding and Post-Oxidation

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Abstract

Pulsed plasma nitriding and post-oxidizing process have been applied to hot work H13 tool steel to enhance the tribological properties (friction coefficient and wear rate). Nitriding was accomplished under specific conditions to generate a free white layer surface in order to avoid an abrasive wear mechanism. Post-oxidizing treatment was carried out in the same reactor after finishing the nitriding treatment; processing time was varied for 30 and 60 min. The morphology, phase’s composition and wear performance of duplex-treated samples were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction analysis and pin-on-ball wear technique. The results show that the duplex treatment produces a bilayer arrangement constituted by an 80 μm diffusion zone with expanded martensite as the main phase underneath a 2–4 μm hematite–magnetite-oxidized layer. The duplex treatment modified the main wear mechanism of the nitrided sample from abrasive to plastic yielding. The changes in wear mechanisms resulted in a noticeable decrease, about 40%, in friction coefficient for oxidized samples in comparison with the nitrided-only sample. It was also established that the lowest friction coefficient values can be obtained when hematite is the main phase in the oxidized layer.

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Acknowledgments

J.C. Díaz-Guillén would like to thank the Mexican National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT) for the financial support to carry out this research work (Grant Number CB-2015 257705).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CONACYT-Corporación Mexicana de Investigación en Materiales S.A. de C.V., C.P 25290, Saltillo Coahuila, Mexico

    J. C. Díaz-Guillén, M. Alvarez-Vera, J. L. Acevedo-Davila, H. M. Hdz-García & R. Muñoz-Arroyo

  2. Tecnológico Nacional de México, Instituto Tecnológico de Saltillo, C.P. 25280, Saltillo Coahuila, Mexico

    J. A. Díaz-Guillén

  3. Department of Physics, Women University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Bagh, Pakistan

    M. Naeem

  4. Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, C.P. 50000, Toluca, Estado de México, Mexico

    E. E. Granda-Gutiérrez

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  1. J. C. Díaz-Guillén
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  2. M. Alvarez-Vera
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Díaz-Guillén, J.C., Alvarez-Vera, M., Díaz-Guillén, J.A. et al. A Hybrid Plasma Treatment of H13 Tool Steel by Combining Plasma Nitriding and Post-Oxidation. J. of Materi Eng and Perform 27, 6118–6126 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-018-3669-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-018-3669-z

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