Influence of plasma peening on oxidation of H13 hot work steel in water vapor

摘要

The surface oxidation films on H13 steel samples, obtained by different oxidation processes were observed by optical microscope. It is shown that the oxidation speed of H13 steel is increased remarkably due to the surface modification of plasma peening. Further researches were made by XRD, SEM and EDS. The activation of H13 surface caused by plasma peening and the subsequent higher oxygen diffusion rate into the steel seem to be the main reasons of higher oxidation speed. The nitride layer, generally formed on the steel surface under plasma nitri-ding process, can be substituted by oxide in subsequent oxidation process, which can reduce the risk of heat cracking in some hot work applications. Therefore, the plasma nitriding plus oxidation process is a proper choice for some hot work dies, which demands high hardness to avoid indentation as well as high toughness to avoid cracks.