Analysis of Surface Hardening Treatments Using the EPMA-8050G

The steel used in familiar, everyday mechanical components (such as gears, bearings, and screws) must be wear-resistant and tough, so its surfaces are hardened, and internally, surface hardening treatments are applied to maintain toughness. There are several types of steel surface hardening treatments in which the surface is hardened by quenching after heating. In one type, the surface components are modified and hardened, as in carburized quenching and nitriding. In flame hardening and induction quenching, hardened is applied only to the surface by quenching.
Here, we introduce a sample analysis of carbonitrided steel (SCM) and gas carburized steel (gears) using the EPMA-8050G (FE-EPMA).