IP Library Granted Patent US 9,783,879
Granted Patent B2
US 9,783,879 · App. 14/394,423 · Granted Oct 10, 2017

Nitrided steel member and manufacturing method thereof

View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,783,879
App. No.
14/394,423
Granted
Oct 10, 2017
Kind
B2
Abstract

A nitrided steel member including an iron nitride compound layer formed on a surface of a steel member having predetermined components, wherein: in X-ray diffraction peak intensity IFe 4 N (111) of a (111) crystal plane of Fe 4 N and X-ray diffraction peak intensity IFe 3 N (111) of a (111) crystal plane of Fe 3 N, which are measured on a surface of the nitrided steel member by X-ray diffraction, an intensity ratio expressed by IFe 4 N (111)/{IFe 4 N (111)+IFe 3 N (111)} is 0.5 or more; Vickers hardness of the iron nitride compound layer is 900 or less, Vickers hardness of a base metal immediately under the iron nitride compound layer is 700 or more, and a difference between the Vickers hardness of the iron nitride compound layer and the Vickers hardness of the base metal is 150 or less; and a thickness of the iron nitride compound layer is 2 to 17 μm.

Claims (22)

1. A nitrided steel member comprising an iron nitride compound layer formed on a surface of a base metal

which contains, by mass %, C: 0.05 to 0.14%, Si: 0.10 to 0.30%, Mn: 0.4 to 1.4%, Cr: 0.9 to 1.9%, Mo: 0 to 0.50%, V: 0 to 0.40%, Al: 0.01 to 0.14%, and S: 0.005 to 0.030%,

whose Hs value expressed by the following expression 1 is 1.19 or more,

Hs value=(−342.1×C+23.5×Mn+125.0×Cr+14.4×Mo+208.3×V+346.4×Al)/100  expression 1,

whose Hc value expressed by the following expression 2 is 3.76 or less,

Hc value=(156.1×C+54.7×Mn+158.4×Cr+146.5×Mo+33.8×V+418.6×Al)/100  expression 2,

where C, Mn, Cr, Mo, V, and Al represent values of mass % of the respective elements, and

in which the balance is made of Fe and impurities, with P, N, and O in the impurities being P: 0.030% or less, N: 0.008% or less, and O: 0.0030% or less,

wherein, in X-ray diffraction peak intensity IFe 4 N (111) of a (111) crystal plane of Fe 4 N and X-ray diffraction peak intensity IFe 3 N (111) of a (111) crystal plane of Fe 3 N, which are measured on the surface of the nitrided steel member by X-ray diffraction, an intensity ratio expressed by IFe 4 N (111)/{IFe 4 N (111)+IFe 3 N (111)} is 0.5 or more,

wherein Vickers hardness of the iron nitride compound layer is 900 or less, Vickers hardness of the base metal immediately under the iron nitride compound layer is 700 or more, and a difference between the Vickers hardness of the iron nitride compound layer and the Vickers hardness of the base metal is 150 or less, and

wherein a thickness of the iron nitride compound layer is 2 to 17 μm.

2. The nitrided steel member according to claim 1 , being a gear used in a transmission.

3. A manufacturing method of a nitrided steel member, the method comprising applying a nitriding treatment to a base metal in an atmosphere of nitriding treatment gas in which a ratio of a partial pressure of NH 3 gas is 0.08 to 0.34, a ratio of a partial pressure of H 2 gas is 0.54 to 0.82, and a ratio of a partial pressure of N 2 gas is 0.09 to 0.18 when a total pressure is defined as 1, with a flow velocity of the nitriding treatment gas on a surface of the base metal being set to 1 m/s or more, and with a temperature being set to 500 to 620° C., to thereby form an iron nitride compound layer with a 2 to 17 μm thickness on the surface of the base metal,

the steel member being a member

which contains, by mass %, C: 0.05 to 0.14%, Si: 0.10 to 0.30%, Mn: 0.4 to 1.4%, Cr: 0.9 to 1.9%, Mo: 0 to 0.50%, V: 0 to 0.40%, Al: 0.01 to 0.14%, and S: 0.005 to 0.030%,

whose Hs value expressed by the following expression 1 is 1.19 or more,

Hs value=(−342.1×C+23.5×Mn+125.0×Cr+14.4×Mo+208.3×V+346.4×Al)/100  expression 1,

whose Hc value expressed by the following expression 2 is 3.76 or less,

Hc value=(156.1×C+54.7×Mn+158.4×Cr+146.5×Mo+33.8×V+418.6×Al)/100  expression 2,

where C, Mn, Cr, Mo, V, and Al represent values of mass % of the respective elements, and

in which the balance is made of Fe and impurities, with P, N, and O in the impurities being P: 0.030% or less, N: 0.008% or less, and O: 0.0030% or less.

4. The manufacturing method of the nitrided steel member according to claim 3 , wherein a time of the nitriding treatment is within a range over 0.5 hours and less than ten hours.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded May 14, 2019
From: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
To: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 049257/0828 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 8, 2015
From: SHIMIZU, YUICHIRO; KOBAYASHI, ATSUSHI; MAEDA, SUSUMU; KANAYAMA, MASAO; IMATAKA, HIDEKI; YUYA, MASATO; GYOTOKU, YUYA; AKIMOTO, KIYOTAKA
To: DOWA THERMOTECH CO., LTD.; HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.; NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 034667/0313 →