Effects of Plasma Nitriding Process on AISI 304 Stainless Steel

¹ Mechanical Engineering, CVR College of Engineering, Hyderabad, Telangana
² Mechanical Engineering, Gokaraju Rangaraju Institute of Engineering and Technology, Hyderabad, Telangana
³ Physics Department, K. Z. S. Science College, Kalmeshwar, Nagpur, Maharashtra
⁴ Mechanical Engineering, Kumaraguru College of Technology, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu
⁵ Mechanical Engineering, PSNA College of Engineering and Technology, Dindigul, Tamilnadu

^* Corresponding author: ram4msrm@gmail.com

Abstract

AISI 304 stainless steel is a type of austenitic stainless steel that contains a high percentage of chromium and nickel. It is one of the most widely used grades of stainless steel and is commonly used in a variety of applications, including kitchen equipment, food processing equipment, and chemical processing equipment. AISI 304 stainless steel is a versatile and widely used material due to its excellent corrosion resistance, durability, and non-magnetic properties. Low-temperature processes like ion implantation, plasma nitriding can prevent the corrosion resistance of stainless steels by diffusion of plasma into the surface of the material, forming precipitation of Chromium nitride. For this research work, plasma nitriding is carried out on AISI 304 at low-temperatures 550°C for the time duration of 8 hrs, 16 hrs and 32 hrs. The formation of nitrogen-enriched layers with high nitrogen content promoted to increase in surface hardness. Wear test were carried out with pin on disc machine and the samples were undergone with hardness tests. The microstructures of plasma treated samples were compared with untreated microstructures. It was noted that phase change occurred from austenite to expanded austenite forming a hard layer from the surface level improving the wear resistance of the material.