Characterizing AISI 1045 steel surface duplex-treated by alternating current field enhanced pack aluminizing and nitriding

Thin cases and long treating time are shortcomings of conventional duplex treatment of aluminizing followed by nitriding (DTAN). Alternating current field (ACF) enhanced DTAN was carried out on AISI 1045 steel by applying an ACF to treated samples and treating agents with a pair of electrodes for overcoming those shortcomings. By investigating cases' structures, phases, composition and hardness distributions of differently treated samples, preliminary studies were made on characterizations of the ACF enhanced duplex treatment to AISI 1045 steel. The results show that, with the help of the ACF, the surface Al-rich phase Al5Fe2 formed in conventional pack aluminizing can be easily avoided and the aluminizing process is dramatically promoted. The aluminizing case can be nitrided either with conventional pack nitriding or ACF enhanced pack nitriding. By applying ACF to pack nitriding, the diffusion of nitrogen into the aluminizing case is promoted. AlN, Fe2∼3N and solid solution of N in iron are efficiently formed as a result of reactions of N with the aluminizing case. A duplex treated case with an effective thickness of more than 170 μm can be obtained by the alternating current field enhanced 4 h pack aluminizing plus 4 h pack nitriding.