Article
Article Based On Issue
DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF UREA-BASED NITRIDING DEVICE FOR PURE TITANIUM GRADE 1
335 - 344
Keyword : Titanium, Nitriding Device, Hardness, Urea Nitriding
The industrial use of pure titanium has been extensive, but, its products have been plagued by inadequate wear and erosion resistance. The technique of pack nitriding was chosen to increase the hardness of pure titanium products. However, achieving high hardness often necessitated high temperature processing. The nitriding carried out using urea as an alternative source of nitrogen, which will diffuse with the metal surface and form titanium nitride. In this study, an attempt is made to design and fabrication a nitriding device in the workshop. The device is made using stainless steel pipe 4" Sch. 160, 400mm long, which is closed with 4†SO #900 blind flange. To measure pressure in the nitriding chamber, a Pressure Gauge is installed at the top of the top flange. Heat supply from Jemix brand heat treatment machine. The nitriding pipe is covered with a heating coil and temperature control of the heating machine. Urea in granular form is put into the nitriding chamber and then the specimen is also placed in it. Nitriding process was performed at temperature of 475°C. Thermocouple with measurement range and reliability of up to 1200oC was utilised to gauge the temperature of the nitriding chamber and provide input to the temperature controller. The test findings indicate that the temperature control equipment performs effectively within a temperature stability range of between 1oC to 2oC. The Pure Titanium Gr. 1 plate after nitriding show a hardness improvement as compared to the non-treated plate. The test showed that Titanium surface hardness after nitridation for 2 hours, rose from 55.5 HRC to 70.5 HRC. It is anticipated that it can address industrial technical problems related to the premature degradation of Pure Titanium Gr. 1 plate.
