Some observations on structure of compound layer produced on steels by plasma nitrocarburising

摘要

In this paper the processes occurring at the plasma-cathode interface (carbon absorption and sputtering) which are responsible for the structure of the compound layer (CL) are discussed in conjunction with the ternary Fe-N-C phase diagram. The influence of the gas composition, including oxygen, on the development of the CL is also investigated. Based on the mechanisms of plasma nitrocarburising described in this paper a technique to produce CLs with a structure close to epsilon monophase was developed and applied to plain carbon steels.