Improving surface properties and wear behaviors of duplex stainless steel via pressure carburizing

In this research, the surface properties and wear behavior of duplex stainless steel (DSS) carburized using pressure carburizing (PC) method are studied. Carburizing on DSS having different microstructures was carried out using conventional carburizing and pressure carburizing methods. The surface properties namely, the microstructure, hardness and wear of DSS prior to and following the carburizing process were investigated. The results showed that the initial microstructure condition affects the carburizing process wherein the DSS with a finer microstructure exhibits better surface properties than the coarser one. It was found that the surface hardness and wear properties of DSS are enhanced significantly for the sample carburized via PC method. The enhancement was attributed to the formation of a thicker and harder carburized layer. Elemental analyses revealed that the concentration of carbon atoms in the PC sample was highly packed and that the atoms diffused further into the substrate compared with the conventional carburizing sample. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.