Surface Nitriding of Al-Mg Alloys Using a Rotary Barrel Tank

Abstract

The authors developed a new nitriding process to form an aluminum nitride film on a pure aluminum surface. In this study, a rotary barrel polishing method was applied to gas nitriding in an attempt to form an aluminum nitride film on the surface of Al-Mg alloys. Nitriding was carried out at 823 K, 853 K, and 873 K for 3.6 ks to 25.2 ks. Alumina- and aluminum - 50mass% magnesium powders were used as the media that flowed in the barrel tank. An aluminum nitride film was formed on the aluminum alloy surfaces within a relatively short time. The effect of the treatment temperature on the formation and growth of the aluminum nitride was investigated. It was found that the formation and growth of the aluminum nitride film were greatly affected by differences in the Mg content in the aluminum substrate and by the treatment temperature.