Conventional Was ma surface engineering of austenitic stainless steels is characterized by the precipitation of chromium compounds, resulting in hardening of the treated cases, but at the expense of corrosion resistance due to the depletion of chromium in the matrix.To combat such a phenomenon, a novel plasma surface engineering process has been developed. This novel process takes place at relatively low temperatures using carbon as the major alloying species. The glow discharge of a plasma facilitates the diffusion of carbon into the surfaces of austenitic stainless steels at sufficiently low temperatures (<500 deg C), hence forming a precipitate free layer supersaturated with carbon. The end result is an improvement in hardness and wear resistance without the loss of corrosion resistance.This paper presents experimental results on the structures and properties of such low temperature carburised Myers, which possess a super stainless surface.
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