Nitriding of 4140 Annealed Low Alloy Steel in RF Plasma

The annealed low alloy 4140 steel samples have been nitrided for different treatment periods (1-6 h) in an RF inductive plasma discharge with very low bias voltage ( ≈ 400 V). The resulting nitrided layer has been observed by means of an optical microscope whereas the nitride phases have been characterised by X-ray analysis. The corrosion response, assessed by the potentiodynamic tests in the 3.5% NaCl solution, presents both higher noble potential values and lower corrosion rates when compared with the untreated sample. The Vickers microhardness tests values show an appreciable increment compared to that of the untreated sample. The process is characterized by a high overall efficiency because similar average Vickers tests values were obtained, no matter for how long the treatment was extended. Likewise, the scanning electron micrographs confirmed no appreciable size evolution of the compound layer microstructure at different times of treatment