Development of electrolytic heat-treatment in aqueous solution

Conventional surface heat-treatment processes are carried out at high temperature, hence both the equipment and the operation costs are high. A review of literature available on electrolytic heat-treatment has been attempted. This paper introduces the development of an advanced surface heat-treatment technique that can be operated at room temperature, with low cost and easy control, thereby improving its competitiveness. This is an electrolytic heat-treatment method in aqueous solution, especially using pulse current as a new aspect in the area of surface-hardening technologies. The results obtained under this surface heat-treatment using pulse current are presented briefly in this paper, and the advantages and disadvantages of the technology are also discussed. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.