An investigation has been conducted into the contribution made by nitrogen and nitrogen plus carbon to the properties of non-alloy steel treated at 570°C. It is shown that both the fatigue properties of the diffusion zone and the tribological and corrosion properties of the surface compound layer are independent of the carbon content. Recommendations are made on how such processes may be conducted and controlled in practice, and examples are shown of how the property improvements associated with these treatments have been exploited in the design and manufacture of non-alloy steel automobile components.
