Subcritical Carbonitriding for Stainless Steels

Subcritical carbonitriding has been demonstrated to improve the wear resistance of stainless steels.  The process relies on a low temperature thermochemical treatment involving the simultaneous diffusion of carbon and nitrogen into the surface of the component resulting in a high hardness.  The beneficial aspects of this process are achieved at temperatures below the intermetallic precipitation formation temperature. This paper provides the summary of historical public domain literature including mechanical property data and corrosion resistance.