INFLUÊNCIA DOS PARÂMETROS DE IMPLANTAÇÃO IÔNICA POR IMERSÃO EM PLASMA NA EFICIÊNCIA DA NITRETAÇÃO DO AÇO INOXIDÁVEL SUPER DUPLEX

Abstract

This work aimed at study the correlation of variables in a plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) system, as well as their synergistic combination for the nitriding of the UNS S32750 super duplex stainless steel ( SD 2507). The research comprised two phases, as follows. (i) Study of the system. The interconnection of variables, namely voltage (V), pulse width (L), frequency (f) and current (I), were systematically analyzed with respect to the cathode heating. A mathematical formulation was proposed for the ion average energy and the substrate temperature, which took into consideration the energy conservation in the system, and the basic theories for plasma and sheaths and the ion interaction with matter. Hereafter, such model is thought to be experimentally demonstrated, allowing inferring the actual PIII fraction of energy that is converted to heat. (ii) N-PIII of the SD. Mirror-like samples were nitrided under different V, f and L combinations, leading to the temperatures 295, 325, 355 and 400 oC. The surface characterization methods were the optical, field emission electron, and atomic force microscopies, X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, backscattered electron diffraction, and instrumented indentation. The austenite and ferrite fraction in the as received material amounted to 43,7 % and 56,3 %, respectively. After nitriding, the modified layers were 0,5-1,5 m thick. Up to 355 ºC, the expanded phase N was produced in originally austenite grains, whereas Fe2-3N e Fe4N precipitates were formed in ferrite grains. The hardness profiles were similar among different temperatures and between the two phases in the same sample. However, in ferritic regions, the mechanism for plastic deformation changed from ductile to brittle. In the 400 ºC treatments, only N was formed. Finally, a correlation for the production of the expanded phase in PIII and the mean pulse energy Ei was attained, given by and . Where IN and I are the integrated intensities of diffraction peaks for austenite and expanded austenite, respectively.