Low-temperature nitriding of austenitic steel in a vibrofluidized bed

The prospects for use of a vibrofluidized bed (VFB) for low-temperature nitrogen saturation of high-strength austenitic steel based on Cr−Ni−Mn (12Kh17N8G2S2MF) are considered. The positive effect of preliminary plastic deformation on the intensity of nitriding is described. The temperature and time parameters of nitriding in a VFB for strain-aging austenitic steel 12Kh17N8G2S2MF are shown to be adequate for the regimes of the final heat-treatment operation of aging. This creates the possibility of combining the operations of surface alloying and strain aging into a single cycle. This combined treatment increases substantially the resistance of the steel to cyclic loads while preserving the strength parameters. It is shown that the presented method of low-temperature nitriding in a VFB is expedient for improving the service characteristics of austenitic steel 12Kh17N8G2S2MF used for production of force springs of automobile brake systems.