A method of local plasma electrolytic nitrocarburising by the directed action of an electrolyte jet on the side surface of a rotating shaft is proposed. Changes in the structural-phase composition of the surface layer, surface morphostructure and tribological properties in the contact area of the electrolyte with the treated surface and adjacent areas of low-carbon steel are studied. Formation of a gradient of structural-phase changes is shown, which is determined by a change in temperature and intensity of carbon and nitrogen diffusion, as well as the cooling rate during hardening. The competing effect of high-temperature oxidation, the intensity of which is determined by the temperature distribution over the heated surface, and anodic dissolution on the morphostructure and roughness of the surface is determined. Tribological tests have shown the possibility of reducing weight wear by 18.4 times and volume wear by 5.4 times with a decrease in the actual contact area of the rubbing surfaces, which is observed in the heating area center in the presence of a martensite substrate and increased surface roughness. Analysis of the microgeometry of friction tracks showed that deformations in the tribocoupling are not elastic, but plastic and do not transition to the microcutting mode.
Kusmanov et al. (Wed,) studied this question.