Arc plasma nitriding of low carbon steel

Arc plasma nitriding of low carbon steel was carried out in the temperature range 1000–1100°C under different gas (Ar, N2, H2) configurations for 15 min each. The plasma nitrided surfaces were characterized by XRD, SEM and microhardness measurement to identify various nitride phases thus grown, observe surface morphology of grains and determine improvement in hardness, respectively. The depth of the nitride layer growth was found to be in the order of 100–120 μm. Microhardness was observed to increase by three to four times that of the original samples taken. Fe2–3N(ε), Fe2N1−x and Fe2N, etc., were the main phases that grew in the arc plasma process. Experimental details and characterization of arc plasma nitrided low carbon steel are described and discussed in this paper.