Nitrogen Permeation Treatment of Duplex and Austenitic Stainless Steels

The 22%Cr-5%Ni-3%Mo duplex and 18%Cr-8%Ni austenitic stainless steels have been nitrogen permeated under the $1Kg/cm^2$ nitrogen gas atmosphere at the temperature range of $1050^{\circ}C{\sim}1150^{\circ}C$. The nitrogen-permeated duplex and austenitic stainless steels showed the gradual decrease in hardness with increasing depth below surface. The duplex stainless steel showed nitrogen pearlite at the outmost surface and austenite single phase in the center after nitrogen permeation treatment, while the obvious microstructural change was not observed for the nitrogen-permeated austenitic stainless steel. After solution annealing the nitrogen-permeated stainless steels(NPSA treatment) at $1200^{\circ}C$ for 10 hours, the hardness of the duplex and austenitic stainless steels was constant through the 2 mm thickness of the specimen, and the ${\alpha}+{\gamma}$ phase of duplex stainless steel changed to austenite single phase. Tensile strengths and elongations of the NPSA-treated duplex stainless steel remarkably increased compared to those of solution annealed (SA) duplex stainless steel due to the solution strengthening effect of nitrogen and the phase change from a mixture of ferrite and austenite to austenite single phase, while the NP-treated austenitic stainless steel displayed the lowest value in elongation due to inhomogeneous deformation by the hardness difference between surface and interior.