The Effect of Ion-Nitriding & Subsequent Reheating on Hardness and Microstructure of Hot work Tool Steel (STD 61)

열간공구강 STD61의 이온질화 특성과 재가열에 의한 경도와 조직의 변화

It has been investigated that the ion nitriding effects of a STD61 steel in various time conditions of 3 to 9 hours, and the microstructure of compound and diffusion layers of the ion nitrided specimen for 6 hours and subsequently reheated for 1 hour at various temperatures of $400{\sim}800^{\circ}C$ As the nitriding time increased, the thickness of compound and diffusion layers was increased, but the hardness of surface was not considerably increased (Max Hv=1045 at 9hrs). Some of the nitrogen was denitrided out of the surfac and diffused into the core, and also the oxides ($Fe_3O_4$, $Fe_2O_3$) were formed on the surface of the specimen during reheating. The compound layer was partially decomposed at about $600^{\circ}C$ but the diffusion layer was increased up to $800^{\circ}C$. With increasing reheated temperture, the hardness of the surface was decreased, whereas the hardness depth of diffusion layer (0.25mm) was increased up to $600^{\circ}C$ more than that of ion nitrided (0.18mm). The blend-heat treated STD61 steel by ion nitriding is therefore expected to hold on the characteristics of ion nitriding up to $600^{\circ}C$.