Structure and Contact Fatigue Strength of Heat-Resistant Steel VKS-7 Hardened Layers After Ion-Plasma Nitriding

Structure is studied for diffusion layers of heat-resistant steel 16Kh2N3MFBAYu-Sh prepared by ion-plasma nitriding, and their phase composition is established represented by ultra-fi nely dispersed incoherent chromium nitride particles in a solid solution matrix. Contact fatigue strength of the nitrided layer prepared by an optimized regime is determined by experiment. A feature is established for the effect of nitride layer thickness on contact fatigue strength for heat-resistant steel alloyed with nickel. Nitriding regimes are recommended for treating low modulus gear wheels and other similar components whose performance is governed by contact fatigue strength.