Comparison of Wear Performance of Low Temperature Nitrided and Carburized 316L Stainless Steel under Dry Sliding and Corrosive-Wear Conditions

316L austenitic stainless steel was plasma nitrided and carburized at low temperatures to produce precipitation-free nitrided and carburized layers, respectively. The reciprocation sliding wear performances of the untreated, nitrided and carburized specimens were compared under both unlubricated (dry) and corrosive (in 0.5 M H2SO4 solution) conditions. The results show that under dry sliding conditions, both the nitrided layer and carburized layer can offer good wear resistance to 316L steel. The total material loss (TML) of the steel is reduced by more than two orders of magnitude by low temperature nitriding, while low temperature carburizing offers a reduction in TML by an order of magnitude. The better dry sliding wear performance of the nitrided layer is attributed to its much higher hardness as compared to the carburized layer. However, under corrosive-wear conditions in 0.5 M H2SO4 solution, the wear performance of the nitrided layer is significantly deteriorated, with TML 100% higher than that of the untreated 316L steel. On the other hand, the carburized layer can still offer good wear resistance in the corrosive environment, with a reduction in TML of 316L steel by 40%. This research has practical implication that low temperature nitriding is the most suitable for applications in dry and non-corrosive environments, while low temperature carburizing is more suitable for applications in H2SO4-containing corrosive environments.

Automated summary

316L austenitic stainless steel was plasma nitrided and carburized at low temperatures to improve its wear resistance. Both the nitrided layer and carburized layer showed good wear performance under dry sliding conditions. However, the wear performance of the nitrided layer deteriorated significantly in a corrosive environment, while the carburized layer still offered good wear resistance.