Wear and corrosion properties of a low carbon steel processed by means of SMAT followed by lower temperature chromizing treatment

A duplex lower temperature chromizing treatment at 600 degrees C for 120 min followed by 860 degrees C for 90 min was performed on a low carbon steel plate with a nanostructured surface layer, induced by surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT) [Z.B. Wang, J. Lu, K. Lu, Acta Mater. 53 (2005) 2081]. Microhardness, wear and corrosion resistances of the chromized SMAT sample were measured, in comparison with those of the chromized coarse-grained counterpart and the as-annealed coarse-grained sample. Experimental results showed that these properties were improved markedly. The much enhanced properties of the chromized SMAT sample relative to the chromized coarse-grained counterpart might originate from its superior microstructures, i.e., a much thicker chromized surface layer with smaller grains and more homogenous phase-distribution, due to the employed processes of the SMAT and the duplex lower temperature chromizing treatment. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.