Silicon Diffusion in Silicide Coatings Deposition by the Pack Cementation Method on AISI D2 Tool Steel

Silicon - In the current research, pack cementation method for deposition of silicide on the AISI D2 steel has been investigated. The chemical, phase composition of coatings and microstructure,...     

Multi-Objective Optimization of Process Parameters in Pack Siliconizing on AISI D2 Steel

Silicon - In this study, the formation of the silicon coating on the AISI D2 steel with the pack siliconizing method has been investigated. To do so, different times (2, 3, 4 h) and...     

Effect of Pack Siliconizing on Mechanical Properties of a Tool from Steel AISI D2: Experiment and Optimization

Metal Science and Heat Treatment - The process of formation of surface layer on steel AISI D2 pack siliconized at 650, 800 and 950°C for 2, 3, and 4 h using a powder mixture (in wt.%) of 0.5,...     

Pack Siliconizing Optimization of AISI D2 Tool Steel

Silicon - The paper describes the pack siliconizing optimization procedure for AISI D2 tool steel. Pack siliconizing was performed by employing different treating temperatures (falling in the range...     

Characterization of Tribological and Mechanical Properties of the Si3N4 Coating Fabricated by Duplex Surface Treatment of Pack Siliconizing and Plasma Nitriding on AISI D2 Tool Steel

Silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) coating was deposited on AISI D2 tool steel through employing duplex surface treatments—pack siliconizing followed by plasma nitriding. Pack cementation was performed at 650 °C, 800 °C, and 950 °C for 2 and 3 hours by using various mixtures to realize the silicon coating. X-ray diffraction analyses and scanning electron microscopy observations were employed for demonstrating the optimal process conditions leading to high coating adhesion, uniform thickness, and composition. The optimized conditions belonging to siliconizing were employed to produce samples to be further processed via plasma nitriding. This treatment was performed with a gas mixture of 75 pct H₂-25 pct N₂, at the temperature of 550 °C for 7 hours. The results showed that different nitride phases such as Si₃N₄-β, Si₃N₄-γ, Fe₄N, and Fe₃N can be recognized as coatings reinforcements. It was demonstrated that the described composite coating procedure allowed to obtain a remarkable increase in hardness (80 pct higher with respect to the substrate) and wear resistance (30 pct decrease of weight loss) of the tool steel.