Thermodynamic Simulation of Gas Carburizing of Steels

Simulation of metallurgical processes has been the subject of intense research due to the reduced number of experiments required for controlling the process as well as time and energy savings it allows. In gas carburizing of steel parts, the amount of carbon at the surface of carburized parts is the most important specification of the process in terms of achieving the desired metallurgical properties. In the present research, the gaseous reactions in an endothermic gas generator have been simulated using MATLAB software where the equilibrium surface carbon percentage was obtained by solving the equilibrium constant equations. The effects such variables as air-to-fuel ratio in the endothermic gas generator, carburizing temperature, pressure inside the furnace, relative humidity, and ambient temperature have been investigated. Besides, working conditions of the furnace have been investigated to obtain the desired carbon potential. Finally, the results of the simulation have been compared with experimental results obtained from a gas carburizing furnace.