R. K. Vafin

INCREASING THE PRODUCTIVITY OF ION-PLASMA NITRIDING IN A GLOW DISCHARGE WITH A MAGNETIC FIELD WITH A SIMULTANEOUS INCREASE IN THE QUALITY OF THE HARDENED LAYER OF THE HS6-5-2 DIN (1.3343 EN) STEEL

This paper examines the low productivity of ion-plasma nitriding (IPN) of HS6-5-2 DIN (1.3343 EN) high-speed steel widely used in the production of metal-cutting tools. Conventional IPA modes are characterized by long process cycles (up to 40 hours) entailing high energy consumption and limiting process productivity. Furthermore, nitriding without additional intensification methods exhibits a number of drawbacks reducing the quality of the hardened layer, namely insufficient diffusion zone depth, a sharp microhardness gradient at the layer–base interface, which increases the risk of delamination under contact loads, and a suboptimal wear mechanism with a predominance of adhesive action, which reduces tool life. Therefore, it is a relevant line of research to try to find effective methods for intensifying diffusion processes that can reduce processing time, while simultaneously improving the performance characteristics of the hardened layer.

The paper studies the effect of a magnetic field as an intensifier of ion-plasma nitriding on the diffusion layer growth kinetics in the HS6-5-2 DIN (1.3343 EN) high-speed steel, its structural and phase state, microhardness, and tribological properties. Experiments were conducted on a modernized VELU-5 setup equipped with a magnetic system for generating a closed magnetic field with an induction of 30 to 40 mT. Nitriding was performed in a N₂–H₂–Ar gas mixture, with an arrangement of 0.5–0.1–0.4 volume parts, respectively, at 500 °C for 2 hours.

Acknowledgment: The study was carried out with the financial support of state assignment No. FRRR-2026-0005 “Studying new coating materials produced by assisted vacuum-arc deposition for strengthening hard-alloy metal-cutting tools used for processing materials in aero-engine manufacturing”.

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