CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

In polycrystalline materials, grain boundaries and dislocations are potentially diffusion paths for atoms. On the other hand, the dislocation density increases drastically during plastic deformation. Based on the consideration of these two aspects, we study the role of a previous plastic deformation on the efficiency of an ion-nitriding treatment. To mechanically characterize such a diffusion treatment, hardness-depth profiles are usually required but the experiments must be performed on a cross-section of the nitriding sample. In order to avoid this destructive method, we suggest applying a simple model to determine the hardness-depth profile from a series of normal indentations performed on the surface of the treated material. Afterwards, it is possible to predict the hardness-depth profile in different situations of nitriding and to demonstrate the efficiency of a previous plastic deformation on the extension of the nitrided layer during the nitriding treatment.