Silicon Diffusion in Silicide Coatings Deposition by the Pack Cementation Method on AISI D2 Tool Steel

In the current research, pack cementation method for deposition of silicide on the AISI D2 steel has been investigated. The chemical, phase composition of coatings and microstructure, were evaluated by EDS, SEM, EDS line scan and XRD techniques. Based on the results, FeSi2 phase and Fe2Si, FeSi on the surface of the deeper parts of the coatings and doubled-zone structure were achieved. In order to calculate the diffusion’s coefficient, concentration’s profile was used in the pack cementation method with three types of powder for 2 and 3 h in 950 °C. The nature of calculation method is based on finite difference method that aids different phases for being calculated simultaneously. Afterward, the analysis of diffusion for each phase is done separately.