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In this study, the surface of industrial pure iron was treated with atmospheric-controlled induction heating fine particle peening (AIH-FPP) using mechanical coating (MC) particles of carbon/steel obtained by mixing carbon powder and fine steel particles using mechanical milling. The surface modification effect and the mechanism of its effect were examined and considered by analyzing of the treated surface. Results showed that a modified layer in which carbon elements were diffused was formed near the treated surface by the AIH-FPP treatment using MC particles. In addition, by examining the influence of the treatment conditions on the formation of the modified layer by the design of experiments, the treatment temperature showed the most significant influence among the treatment temperature, peening time, and gas flow rate. The higher the treatment temperature, the deeper the carbon diffused layer. In addition, when treated at ≥1273 K, the microstructure near the surface became pearlite, and Vickers hardness increased. The time required for carbon diffusion in the AIH-FPP carburizing process using MC particles of carbon/steel was approximately the same as that of a general carburizing treatment using a reactive gas. In the AIH-FPP carburizing process, carbon is considered to be transferred from the particles to the surface, and the grain boundaries and dislocations increased by fine particle peening (FPP) are used as channels to diffuse inside the specimen. This mechanism is entirely different from the conventional carburizing methods.
Umeno et al. (Tue,) studied this question.