Intro
14%
Gas nitriding — the workhorse and its limits
How dissociating ammonia builds a case in a sealed retort, what the Floe 2-stage cycle actually does, and the difference between a controlled and uncontrolled gas nitride process.
A forge shop sends an H13 punch out for gas nitride. Three certificates come back. Certificate A documents 48 hours at 525°C, no atmosphere data. Certificate B documents 72 hours, a 2-stage Floe cycle, Kn setpoints by stage, and a target compound layer phase. Certificate C documents a plasma cycle. The difference between A and B is the entire subject of this lesson. A documents furnace time. B documents a controlled atmosphere with a target compound-layer thickness, a target phase, and a hydrogen sensor that proves both. On a low-stress part, A and B may produce identical service life. On a part that sees thermal cycling, impact, or a tight microstructural spec, A delivers whatever the retort produced that day.