What is vacuum carburizing process?
Vacuum carburizing (or LPC-Low Pressure Carburizing) is a process where the parts are heated up and then carburizing gases are added under an absolute pressure of a few mbar. Carburizing gas is acetylene (hydro-carbon), where the steel will absorb the carbon and create a layer of hard metal called the case.
What is the main advantage of vacuum carburizing?
Advantages of vacuum carburizing include: Easy integration into manufacturing. The process is clean, safe, simple to operate and easy to maintain. Also, working conditions are excellent (that is, there are no open flames, heat and pollution).
What are the reasons to make a carburizing process?
The process of carburizing involves the use of heat, where steel or iron absorbs a liberal amount of carbon. This takes place as the metal undergoes heating with the presence of materials that contain carbon, like carbon monoxide and charcoal. The purpose of this process is to make the metal harder and manageable.
What is carburizing treatment?
Carburizing, also referred to as Case Hardening, is a heat treatment process that produces a surface which is resistant to wear, while maintaining toughness and strength of the core. This treatment is applied to low carbon steel parts after machining, as well as high alloy steel bearings, gears, and other components.
Why Vacuum carburizing is better than gas carburizing process?
Unlike carburization using solids or gas, the vacuum process doesn’t release any harmful chemicals. The process is also faster than traditional methods because propane breaks down into its components so quickly. Finally, the temperature needed to facilitate carburization is much lower when using a vacuum furnace.
What is pack carburizing?
The earliest method of case hardening, in which components were packed into a suitable box, together with carbon-bearing materials such as charcoal, hooves, hide, animal fat and horn, and heated to the carburising temperature.
What are the properties of carburizing?
Properties: Harder, better tensile strength, good wear resistance. They have higher tensile strength and harder than other plain carbon steels. They also readily respond to heat treatment. These steels can be tempered to great hardness.
What is gas carburizing?
Carburizing is a heat treating process in which iron or steel absorbs carbon liberated when the metal is heated in a carbon enriched atmosphere. The process leads to a hardening of the metal which allows the product to be used in a wider variety of outputs due to the increased hardness.
Which carburizing is fast?
In general, pack carburizing equipment can accommodate larger workpieces than liquid or gas carburizing equipment, but liquid or gas carburizing methods are faster and lend themselves to mechanized material handling.
What is the vacuum method of carburization?
Like carburization using solids or plasma, the vacuum method allows operators to determine the amount of carbon diffused into the metal by controlling how long carburization occurs. The resulting carburized metal retains a flexible core while gaining a more durable exterior. Why Choose Vacuum Over Traditional Carburizing Methods?
How does the carburizing system work?
The carburizing system goes with a computer software, SimVac, which enables design of carburizing parameters of the typical steel used after carburizing, so that the details can get the required carburized layer, most frequently defined by its thickness and surface carbon concentration, figure 3.
What is low vacuum carburizing?
Low Vacuum Carburizing special and high-alloy steels Currently, it is common to search for and apply new materials, especially in automotive and aerospace, in order to limit the weight and improve the performance and durability of the end product.
What is the carburizing temperature of a vacuum furnace?
Vacuum carburizing LPC The vacuum furnaces (figure 1) were equipped with a low pressure, FineCarb, carburizing system. This system ensures thermochemical process within the temperature range of 800- 1100oC (1470-2010oF) and within the pressure range of 0.5-10 mbar [3].