Nitriding is a thermochemical surface hardening treatment consisting of a nitrogen enrichment on the surface of a mechanical steel component. But what is the purpose of this treatment? The creation of a hardened surface layer (about a few tenths of a millimetre) which allows specific characteristics to be acquired. Let’s see them together..
Steels Nitriding: where to do it and what do you get out of it?
The thermochemical treatment of nitriding is usually carried out on components that must be able to withstand wear or surface damage. For example: gears, tappets, transmission shafts, valves, pins, spindles, extrusion screws, hydraulic components.
The thermochemical treatment of nitriding provides high resistance to
- adhesive wear
- mechanical abrasion
- seizing.
In addition, it can lead to an improvement in the fatigue strength of the part.
Steels Nitriding: what are the pros?
Nitriding usually has several advantages:
- high surface hardness for steels with excellent mechanical properties
- mitigation (or elimination) of damage phenomena near or above the surface (wear, abrasion, surface fatigue).
Steels Nitriding: what about the cons?
In addition to the advantages, we will now also look at some of the “disadvantages” of this type of treatment. One of the main disadvantages is the limited thickness of the hardening phenomenon. With other types of treatment of this type, better results would be obtained. Another disadvantage is abrasive wear. Nitrided layers are more brittle than others.
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