In modern industry, the development and application of high-nitrogen steel (HNS) has become an important progress. This unique steel is attracting attention for its enhanced mechanical properties and excellent corrosion resistance. The introduction of nitrogen is critical to the manufacture of high-nitrogen steel, and nitrogen generators play an integral role in this process.
High-nitrogen steel is a steel that contains 0Special steels with 3% to 3% nitrogen. Nitrogen not only enhances the hardness and wear resistance of steel, but also significantly improves its corrosion resistance. Nitrogen forms a gap solid solution in steel, and its solubility is higher than ferrite in austenite and increases with the increasing content of alloying elements such as MN, CR, MO, and V. Nitrogen improves work hardening capacity by reducing stacking failure energy. In addition, the presence of nitrogen in steel has a significant effect on the stability of the austenite phase and the martensitic transition.
Due to the low solubility of nitrogen in molten steel, the production of high-nitrogen steels relies on a suitable manufacturing process. Nitrogen generators play an important role in this process. The high-purity nitrogen produced by the nitrogen generator can be used in a variety of manufacturing methods, including:
Powder metallurgy method: In the powder metallurgy method, the nitrogen produced by the nitrogen generator is used for sintering to form a certain nitrogen-based atmosphere, which can make the surface oxidation of the workpiece easier to control. During sintering, the carbon content of the surface and central part of the sintered part depends on the sintering gas atmosphere. The combination of the zoned gas atmosphere, combined with the appropriate temperature and time, enables efficient and economical goals to be achieved at every stage of the sintering process.
Nitriding of thin parts: The nitrogen produced by the nitrogen generator is used to directly nitride the thin section of the steel, which can improve the hardness, toughness, corrosion resistance and fatigue resistance of the steel. Generally, the temperature of hard nitriding treatment is generally about 500 -570, while the temperature of soft nitriding treatment is lower, generally about 400.
High nitrogen steels are used in a wide range of applications, including but not limited to:
Austenitic steel: used in the manufacture of components such as generator retaining rings that are subjected to centrifugal force, with high yield strength and excellent corrosion resistance.
Martensitic steel: Improves strength and wear resistance by controlling nitrogen content.
Corrosion-resistant steels: such as PESR X30CrMon 15 1 high-temperature stainless steel, which has high hardness and significant corrosion resistance.
Wear-resistant steel: Insoluble nitride is added through powder metallurgy to improve wear resistance and corrosion resistance.
Nitrogen generators play a central role in the manufacturing process of high-nitrogen steel, providing the necessary high-purity nitrogen. Due to its excellent physical and chemical properties, high-nitrogen steels have shown a wide range of application potential in several industrial sectors. From corrosion-resistant structural steels to high-strength tool steels, high-nitrogen steels are becoming indispensable materials for modern industry. As nitrogen generation technology continues to advance, it is expected that high-nitrogen steels will play an even more important role in materials science and engineering applications in the future.