Please choose your delivery country and your customer group
Composition, hardness, friction and wear of nitrogen implanted AISI 52100 steel have been investigated. Auger electron spectroscopy revealed superficial layers of iron oxide or carbon on top of the nitrogen enriched layer. Microhardness tests showed a considerable increase in hardness of the surface layer and measurement of friction force during sliding of a steel ball across the implanted surface showed a reduction in friction of, in some samples, as much as a factor of four relative to the untreated steel surface. In addition, the recorded friction force curves of the implanted steel were much smoother. It was shown by partial removal of the irradiated layer by argon ion etching that the predominant factor for the improvement in frictional performance was the presence of a superficial layer, which acts as a solid lubricant. This layer forms as a secondary reaction between residual gas constituents and the irradiated surface. Some samples were also tested by mild abrasive wear but no influence from ion implantation on wear resistance could be detected.