ABSTRACT
Institute of Mechanics of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IM UB RAS), Izhevsk, Russia
20.1 Introduction ................................................................................ 333 20.2 Experimental Researches ........................................................... 334 20.3 Results and Discussion .............................................................. 334 20.4 Conclusions ................................................................................ 341 Keywords .............................................................................................. 342 References ............................................................................................. 342
20.1 INTRODUCTION
Nitrogen alloying of iron-chromium steels is a promising trend with a view to the formation of nitrous austenite in their structures, which is much more stable than carbonic austenite. Numerous investigations have been conducted and technologies have been developed, wherein ammonia, nitrogen and other nitrogen-containing gases and mixtures are used as a nitrifying medium. Despite the unquestionable scientific and practical interest to the problem of choosing ecological and economical gas medium for nitrification,
the information on investigations of the solubility of air nitrogen is absent in the Russian and foreign literature. Usually, the influence of the air on steels at high-temperature holding is considered only with a view to the investigation the surface oxidizing process. However, it should be taken into account that the main component of the air is nitrogen; therefore it is practical to consider the air not only as an oxidizing medium but also as a nitrifying medium.
