The Influence of Plasma Nitrocarburizing Process Temperature to Commercially Pure Titanium Surface Hardness

Abstract

Commercially pure (cp) titanium is a relative soft metal and easily broken on friction-wear applications. To improve the hardness of the surface while maintaining the original properties, plasma nitrocarburizing process has been conducted. The effects of the treatment in different temperatures to the surface harness are then studied. In this study, cp titanium plasma nitrocarburizing process is conducted at different temperatures with different process time, i.e. at 350 °C for 3, 4, and 5 hours, and at 450 °C for 2, 3, and 4 hours respectively. Hardness tests are then performed on each specimen by using Micro Vickers Hardness Tester. The hardness values for the plasma specimens nitrocarburizing processes at temperature of 350 °C for process duration of 3 hours, 4 hours, and 5 hours are 74.16 HV, 92.25 HV and 94.41 HV, respectively, while for processes at temperature of 450 °C, the hardness values are 103.70 HV, 121.31 HV, and 126.17 HV for process duration of 2 hours, 3 hours, and 4 hours respectively. Hardness value of specimens which are resulted from the plasma nitrocarburizing process at temperature of 450 °C is higher compared with specimens that are processed at temperature of 350 °C.