Abstract
The effect of time, temperature and gas composition on the case hardened thickness, hardness and nitride formation in the surface of ductile cast iron(GCD400) have been studied by micro-pulse plasma technique. Typically, external compound layer and internal diffusion layer which is much thicker than compound layer was observed in the nitride hardening of ductile cast iron. The relative amount kind of phases formed in the nitrided hardening changed with the change of nitriding conditions. Generally, only nitride phases such as $\gamma^'$($Fe_4N$), or $\varepsilon$($Fe_{2-3}N$) phases were detected in compound layer by XRD analysis. The thickness of compound layer increased with the increase of nitrogen content in the gas composition. The optimum nitriding temperature was obtained at $520^{\circ}C$. The nitrided hardening thickness parabolically with nitriding time(t) and thus, the case hardened layer(d) fits well with the typical parabolic equation ; d=kt. The material constant k for GCD400 nitrided at $520^{\circ}C$ was $0.04919\times10^3{\mu}m.hr^{-1/2}$.
