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Atmospheric carburising.

Carburising is a case hardening process that introduces carbon into a solid ferrous alloy.

Surface hardening process typically used for deep case depths, in a wide variety of steels

Ideal for components required to operate for long periods under high impact loads

Thermochemical carbon diffusion process with integrated quench

What we do

Atmospheric carburising

Carburising is accomplished by heating the metal in a carbon rich atmosphere above transformation temperature for a pre-determined time. Subsequent to carburising, parts are quenched to harden the surface carburising layer. The core remains unaffected.

It is a widely used surface hardening process for low carbon steel. The industrial importance of carburising is expressed in its market share, as one third of all hardening heat treatment is covered by carburising and hardening.

Benefits of Atmospheric carburising

Carburising and quench produce hard surfaces which are resistant to wear. Moreover, failure from impact loading is avoided due to a softer core. Unlike case hardening processes, this process is usually used for deep case depths.

Application & materials

Typical applications include transmission gears and shafts for automotive, wind turbine and pump components and all applications where components are required to operate for long periods and under high impact loads. A wide variety of steels can be carburised. The unique combination of a hard wear resistant surface and a tough core can be controlled by the choice of alloy elements and process parameters.

Examples:

DIN SAE BS
1.7131 – 16MnCr5 5115/5117 590H17
1.7243 – 18CrMo4 4118H 708M20
1.6523 – 20NiCrMo2-2 8620H 805H20
1.5752 – 15NiCr13/14NiCr14 3310 655H13

Atmospheric carburising process details

Carburising is a thermochemical diffusion process which adds carbon to the surface of a low carbon steel (typically 0.25% carbon) with other alloying elements. The carbon diffusion depth and the related effective case hardening depth (ECD) can vary from shallow, often less than 2mm, to deeper depths of 4 to 6mm. The total process is applied in three phases:

  • A thermochemical process in a chamber furnace with integrated quench to enrich the surface in a carbon rich environment in a temperature range of 880 to 980°C.
  • Hardening is achieved after quenching either in oil, polymer/water solution or salt.
  • A tempering operation follows. Tempering temperature and time at heat depend on product requirement and application. The tempering process minimises peak stresses and reduces crack initiation.
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See how Carburising could enhance your components.