Erosion and wear behavior of nitrocarburized DC53 tool steel

The results show that white compound layers are composed mainly of ɛ-nitride (Fe3N) and a small amount of γ′-nitride (Fe4N). The nitrocarburizing treatment not only increases the hardness but also decreases the friction coefficient of the specimen. Furthermore, the erosion rate and the wear loss of the nitrocarburized specimen decrease. The anti-wear property of the nitrocarburized specimen is found to relate to the increase in the depth of the diffusion zone. The maximum erosion rate appears at an impinging angle of 30° for all specimens. In this condition, plough grooves and cutting lips appear in the eroded surface; however, the traces of erosion on the untreated specimen are wider and deeper. After nitrocarburizing, the severe adhesive wear is replaced by a much milder abrasive wear. As the nitrocarburizing holding time increases the erosion rate decrease, but the wear properties including the wear loss, friction coefficient, wear mechanism and the width of the abrasion grooves do not change significantly.