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JOURNAL OF IRON AND STEEL RESEARCH, INTERNATIONAL. 2012, 19(11) 71-78

:

Simulation of Case Depth of Cementation Steels According to Fick's Laws

S R Elmi Hosseini
(Faculty of Engineering, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Sistan and
Baluchestan, Zahedan 9816745563, Iran)
Abstract The carburizing process is the enrichment of the depth of low carbon steels with carbon. It leads to samples
with a combination of high surface hardness and high core toughness and to an impact strength that is required for
many engineering parts. The material studied is a low carbon steel. The carbon content is little in this type of steel
(tfc 0. 2 % ) . The calculation of case depth is very important for cementation steels that are hardened in the carburizing process. The effective case depth is defined as the perpendicular distance from the surface to a place at which the
hardness is H V 550. Nowadays, a great number of studies have been carried out on the simulation of effective case
depth, but no studies have been conducted to determine the numerical relation between the total case depth on one
hand and the carburizing time and the effective case depth on the other hand. The steel specimens were subjected to
graphite powder. Then, they were heat treated at 925 'C for about 3 , 5 , 8 and 12 h, respectively. Then, these parts
were quenched in oil. To determine the effective case depth, the microhardness test was performed on the cross-sec
tion of specimens. Plotting the case depth vs carburizing time, the required conditions for obtaining the specified case
depth were determined. Also, the comparison between the case depths in numerical solution and the actual position
in pack carburizing was performed.
:

Key words: cementation steel; carburizing; case depth; Fick's law; simulation

P r e s e n t l y , the application of low carbon steels

has been developed for the manufacture of such p a r t s
as g e a r s , b e a r i n g s , etc. Since the external surfaces
of t h e s e p a r t s touch the other gears and b e a r i n g s , it
is i m p o r t a n t for t h e surface hardness and t h e friction
resistance to be high. T h e carburizing process is one
of t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t case hardening processes t h a t
is performed by solid, liquid and gas techniques'- - .
1

Carburizing is t h e addition of carbon to t h e sur

face of low carbon steels at t e m p e r a t u r e s generally
b e t w e e n 850 950 'C , at which a u s t e n i t e , w i t h its
high solubility for c a r b o n , is t h e stable crystal
s t r u c t u r e . H a r d e n i n g is accomplished w h e n the high
carbon surface layer is quenched to form martensite
so t h a t a high carbon martensitic case w i t h good
wear and fatigue resistance is superimposed on a
t o u g h low carbon steel core - - .
1

Steels for t h e case hardening usually have base

carbon contents of about 0.2%,
with t h e carbon
content of the carburized layer generally being con
trolled between 0 . 8 % and 1 % . H o w e v e r , the sur
face carbon is often limited to 0. 9 % , since such high
carbon content may result in retained austenite and
brittle m a r t e n s i t e . In recent y e a r s , the t e m p e r a t u r e
upper limits have been steadily raised and carburizing
temperatures as high as 1095 'C have been u s e d ~ .
[2

Experimental Procedure

T h e material studied in this research is DIN

18CrNi8 s t e e l , which is one of the most important
low carbon steels. Some of the mechanical propert i e s " and the chemical compositions of this type of
steel have been listed in T a b l e 1 and T a b l e 2.
[ 5

Table 1

4]

8 ]

To facilitate experimental works such as carburizing

Mechanical properties of DIN 18CrNi8 steel

H B hardness

Yield s t r e n g t h / M P a

Ultimate strength/MPa

R e d u c t i o n of a r e a / %

Elongation/ %

Impact energy/J

<235

3685

1230-1470

>30

>7

>41

Biography S R Elmi H o s s e i n i ( 1 9 8 0 ) , M a l e , Master, Lectureship;

:

E-mail:

E l m i e n g . u s b . ac. i r ;

Received Date: April 2 0 , 2011

Table 2

Chemical composition of DIN 18CrNi8 steel

Si

Mn

Ni

Cr

Cu

Mo

Al

Fe

0. 21

0. 2 0 9

0. 4 5 5

1. 8 2 3

1. 911

0. 149

0. 0 2 7

0. 0 2 4

0. 0 1 1

0. 0 0 4

0. 0 0 4

Balance

T o prepare carburizing m i x t u r e , t h e used acti

vator material was solved in hot water and then
graphite powder was added to the solution. By agita
t i o n , the m i x t u r e was converted to glass form.
T h e n , the m i x t u r e was subjected to sunlight until
humidity was totally removed. In the present research,
the mixtures were prepared with 0 , 5 % , 1 0 % and 1 5 %
p u r e activator ( s o d i u m c a r b o n a t e ) .
A single specimen was placed in the center of
each box and the remaining space was filled carefully
w i t h t h e carburizing m i x t u r e . T h e box was covered
w i t h a lid and sealed w i t h the fireclay to prevent air
infiltration into t h e box during carburization. T h e
box containing the test specimen was t h e n placed in
t h e central zone of the furnace, which was already at
the required t e m p e r a t u r e of 925 *C. Carburizing
times of 3 , 5 , 8 and 12 h were used. A t the end of
each t e s t , the box was t a k e n out of t h e furnace and
the sample was quenched in oil. Each test was re
peated for at least t h r e e times. T h e carburized speci
mens w e r e cut from the central region. T h e samples
w e r e t h e n prepared for the microhardness test. The
microhardness test was performed employing a Knoop
indenter at every 0. 1 mm from the edge of the samples
to t h e center according to A S T M E384-99 standard.

Results and Discussion

2.1

Evaluating total case depth by Fick's first law

Effective case depth or Depth of Case ( D C ) is
defined as t h e perpendicular distance from t h e sur
face to a place at which the h a r d n e s s is H R C 50 or
S o m e t i m e s , it is considered
H V 550 ( w c ^ O . 4<
as the distance from the surface, w h e r e the hardness
specified in H R C is lower by 1 5 % t h a n the hardness
specified for the surface of t h e component. T o t a l

19

(mass percent, %)

process and the microhardness t e s t , steel specimens

were cut in the form of cubes with 3 cm in dimensions
and thoroughly washed in acetone and allowed to dry.
Pack carburizing boxes with 10 cmX 10 cmX 10 cm w e r e
made using low carbon steel s h e e t s , w h o s e thickness
is 0. 5 cm. An electric muffle furnace made in Iran was
used. Vickers microhardness testing machine (model
M H T . 1; N o : 8 331) made by M a t s u z a w a Seiki Co
L t d of Japan w a s used. T o prevent the diffusion of
carbon in t h e wall of the p a c k , firstly, the pack w a s
heated in t h e absence of low carbon steel specimens.

Vol.

Journal of Iron and Steel Research, International

72

case depth is defined as the perpendicular distance

from the surface to a place at which the hardness equals
to the initial hardness of the material. Alternatively,
total case depth is t a k e n to be the distance from the
surface to the point at which carbon equals to the initial
carbon content ( C ) of the steel. Fig. 1 illustrates a
general hardness profile of case hardened steel with a
clear distinction between effective case depth and t o
tal case d e p t h ~ .
0

[ 9

1 2 ]

70

60

, DC or effective c a s e depth

50

; 40

-^ \

30 "

Total c a s e
depth

f 1

0.5

1.5

Core
I

2.5
3.5
C a s e depth/mm

4.5

5.5

Fig. 1 Schematic diagram of total case depth and

effective case depth for a case hardened steel

T h e total case depth as a function of time can be

evaluated using F i c k ' s first law of diffusion for semiinfinite case of infinite source. It can be safely as
sumed t h a t the surface carbon content instantly rea
ches t h e m a x i m u m value ( C ) and remains constant
at this value during carburizing. T h e carbon content
of the interior equals to the original carbon content
of t h e steel ( C ) . Fig. 2 ( a ) illustrates the beginning
of carburizing. W h e n surface has attained the maxi
m u m carbon content from the a t m o s p h e r e , it be
comes C . After a time ( i > 0 ) of carburizing, the
variation of the carbon concentration may be t a k e n to
vary linearly from C at the surface ( x = 0 ) to a place
at which the carbon content equals to C , where is
the case depth [ F i g . 2 ( b ) ] . A s carburizing p r o
ceeds, the amount of carbon atoms added per second
to the steel is given by F i c k ' s first law a s
s

(1)
x
w h e r e , J is the net carbon flux per unit area per sec
o n d ; Dl is the diffusion coefficient of carbon in aus
tenite. It is assumed that the case depth increases from

Issue 11

Simulation of Case Depth of Cementation Steels According to Fick's Laws

73

where, x
is the total case d e p t h , m m ; and t is the
carburizing t i m e , h.
toal

(a)

2.2

Evaluating effective case depth by Fick's second law

F i c k ' s second law was defined a s
3C
d^C
(5)
3t
3x
:

T h i s differential equation has been solved to

give carbon content as a function of time and dis
tance a s
:

x:

c.

= erf

(6)

The composition of DIN 18CrNi8 steel is approxi

mately equal to that of AISI 8620 s t e e l . T h e carbon
content in the latter is 0. 2% , so Co = 0 . 2%. The tem
perature of carburizing process was about 925 C. S o ,
according to Fig. 3 , the m a x i m u m carbon concentra
tion ( C ) of AISI 8620 steel in austenite at this tem
perature is 1. 3 % . T h i s amount represents the sur
face carbon content.
[11]

950

Acs

2515

900

"a

850

800

4820

- /
//4320
- + - / .' /
3115

////

, \

////
///

\\ \ ^\

^1020
8720
8620

700

Distance from surface

0.2

0.4

1.6

1.2

0.8

Carbon content^
(a) A t beginning,

r=0;

( b ) After a time,

( c ) A c t u a l c a r b o n g r a d i e n t and i t s s t r a i g h t line

Fig. 2

t+dt;

Fig. 3 Part of Fe-Fe C diagram illustrating approximate

maximum solid solubility of carbon in austenite in
some steels (AISI)

approximation.

Effect of carburizing on case depth and

its carbon distribution

to ~. as the carburizing time increases from t

to i + d i . T o increase the case depth from to i +
ax, t h e a m o u n t of carbon as illustrated by the
h a t c h e d area in Fig. 2 ( b ) m u s t be added to the
steel. T h i s a m o u n t of carbon is supplied by diffusion
of carbon from the surface of steel in time
(at),
which is equal to J at, and t h u s

If in Eqn. ( 6 ) , is defined as effective case

d e p t h ; C will be defined as the carbon concentration
from t h e surface to point at which the hardness is
550 H V . In Ref. [ 9 ] for this s t e e l , the hardness of
550 H V is provided at the point w i t h C of
0.i%;
thus, C_=0. 4%.

(C C )(x~hdx)
(C C )
(2)
2
2
T h e right side of Eqn. ( 2 ) gives the hatched area
of Fig. 2 ( b ) . P u t t h e value of J from Eqn. ( 1 ) to
Eqn. ( 2 ) , and rearranging gives:
xdx = 2Dlat
(3)
I n t e g r a t i o n gives:

gives:

P u t t i n g the value of C ,
0

Jdi

a:totai

2 /Dlt

( A t any t e m p e r a t u r e )

(4)

1. 3 - 0 . 4

C and C in Eqn. ( 6 )
x

(7)
(8)

or
or

0. 95 =

thus,

cti

= l. 9

(9)
(10)

74

Journal of Iron and Steel Research, International

3 Comparison Between Total Case Depth and

Effective Case Depth
T h e diffusion coefficient of carbon in austenite
is defined in t h e following equation;
D =0.
c

(11)

S o , in t h e carburizing t e m p e r a t u r e of 925 "C ,

a s s u m i n g t h a t R = 8. 314 J / ( m o l ) , t h e diffusion
coefficient may be w r i t t e n a s :
Dl = l. 7 4 2 X 1 0 "

(12)

Putting the amount of Dl to Eqn. (4) and Eqn. (10)

gives;
x

(16)

C0 +C-*2CO

(17)

2COCOi+C

(18)

T h e s e d a y s , activator materials are used to in

um carbonate was used as t h e activator material. So
dium carbonate is decomposed at elevated tempera
t u r e s and produces carbon dioxide;
Na C0 -*Na 0-f-C0
2

(19)

By producing carbon dioxide in the pack, the pres

cmVs

C+0 -MX>

crease the case depth. In t h e present r e s e a r c h , sodi

32000]
12exp
RT

Vol. 19

sure of C 0

increases. According to Eqn. ( 1 7 ) , carbon

dioxide reacts with carbon atoms present in the pack and

produces carbon monoxide. Fig. 5 s h o w s t h e equilib

tota

, = 8. 3 4 1 0 ~ \ / "

(13)

x ( = 7.8410/*

rium diagram for Eqn. ( 1 8 ) at any temperature - - .

1

(14)

ef

According to Eqn. ( 1 3 ) and Eqn. ( 1 4 ) , t h e rela

tion b e t w e e n t h e case d e p t h s and t h e

carburizing

20

time has been plotted in Fig. 4. T h i s figure indicates

t h a t t h e relation b e t w e e n t h e total case d e p t h and t h e
effective case depth at any t e m p e r a t u r e i s
^total

40

(15)

= 1. 06

C0 +C^2CO
2

60

0.18
80

100
600

Fig. 5

800
1 000
Temperature/ V,

1 200

Equilibrium pressure of CO and C() for

2CO-^C0 -(-C reaction
2

Carburizing time/h
Fig. 4

10

12

According to Fig. 5 , if t h e ratio of carbon m o n

oxide to carbon dioxide at a constant t e m p e r a t u r e is

Comparison between effective case depth and

total case depth for different time

m o r e t h a n t h e equilibrium ratio of carbon monoxide

to carbon dioxide, Eqn. ( 1 8 ) goes in t h e right direc

4
Effect of Activator Material Content on
Case Depth

t i o n , and t h e carburizing p h e n o m e n o n happens.

But

w h e n t h e ratio of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide

at a constant t e m p e r a t u r e is less t h a n t h e equilibrium

The

ratio of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide, Eqn. ( 1 8 )

oxygen in t h e p a c k ' s air combines with carbon at ele

goes in t h e left direction, and t h e decarburizing p h e

vated

dioxide

nomenon happens. W h e n carbon diffuses into s t e e l ,

So carbon dioxide reacts with carbon

t h e carbon content in t h e surface increases compared

a t o m s present in t h e p a c k , and carbon monoxide is

to t h e core of t h e s t e e l , so t h a t after quenching t h e

T h e carburizing pack contains some air.

temperatures

[Eqn. ( 1 6 ) ] .

and

produces

carbon

steel in t h e oil, the h a r d n e s s of t h e surface increases

produced as a result [ E q n . ( 1 7 ) ] .
Carbon monoxide decomposes on the steel surface
into atomic carbon and carbon dioxide [Eqn. ( 1 8 ) ] . T h e

and the core remains flexible - - .

1

T h e hardness-distance

curves for

carburized

atomic carbon is quickly absorbed on t h e metal sur

samples with 0 , 5 % , 1 0 % and 1 5 % of t h e activator

face and diffuses into t h e metal. A g a i n , according to

material for 3 , 5 , 8 and 12 h are s h o w n in Fig. 6.

E q n . ( 1 7 ) , the reproduced carbon dioxide reacts with

more carbon to produce more carbon monoxide - - .
1

4-5

F r o m Fig. 6 , t h e following conclusions can be

obtained.

Simulation of Case Depth of Cementation Steels According to Fick s Laws

Issue 11

800

0% e n e r g i z e r

(a)

7 0 0 (-

5%

- 10%

75

(b)

600

500

400

300
8Q0

(d)

(c)

700

600

500

400
0.1

0.3

Fig. 6

0.5

0.7

0.5

0.9
0.1
0.3
D i s t a n c e from e d g e / m m

0.9

0.7

Hardness-distance curves for carburized samples with different amounts of

energizer material for time equal to 3 h ( a ) , 5 h ( b ) , 8 h (c) and 12 h (d)

1) In most conditions, h a r d n e s s decreases with

the increase of distance from the surface, but in con
dition with 1 0 % activator ( a t 12 h ) and 1 5 % activa
tor (for all carburizing time) , by increasing the dis
tance from the surface, at first, the h a r d n e s s increa
ses and t h e n decreases.

Table 3

Amounts of case depths for different activator

material contents and different time
mm
Case

M a s s p e r c e n t of a c t i v a t o r material

depth
Carburizing t i m e / h

2 ) There was not a great difference between the

curves of 0 and 5 % activator materials. T h e r e f o r e , it
can be concluded t h a t adding activator material up to
5 % will exert a negligible effect on t h e case depth.

5%

10%

15%

0. 14

0. 18

0. 65

0. 47

0. 19

0. 24

0. 76

0.57

0. 25

0. 3 2

0. 80

0. 64

12

0. 32

0. 4 2

0. 89

0. 74

3) A t all t h e carburizing t i m e , the case d e p t h at

the position of 1 0 % of activator was higher than the
other positions (even for the 1 5 % activator position).
In order to better compare the results, the amounts
of case d e p t h s w e r e extracted from Fig. 6 , which are
s h o w n in T a b l e 3.
U s i n g data from T a b l e 3 , it can be plotted the
case depth vs t h e a m o u n t s of activator material for
different carburizing time (Fig. 7 ) .
According to Fig. 7 , by increasing the amount
of activator material up to about 5 % , the case depth
does not change greatly for all time. A n o t h e r reason
for the above p h e n o m e n o n is t h e h a r d n e s s - d i s t a n c e
curves of Fig. 6 for 0 and 5 % activator, which show
little difference. It can be plotted t h a t the curves of

11

13

Energizer content/%

Fig. 7 Case depth vs amounts of activator

material for different carburizing time

15

Journal of Iron and Steel Research, International

76

Fig. 7 for a m o u n t s of activator material is in t h e

range of 5 % to 1 5 % (Fig. 8 ) .
Fig. 8 illustrates t h a t by increasing t h e activator
material up to a definite amount, the case depth firstly
increases and t h e n decreases. T h i s definite a m o u n t ,
which s h o w s t h e e x t r e m u m point of t h e curves is
very significant since it illustrates the required amount
of activator material to achieve t h e m a x i m u m case
d e p t h at different carburizing time.

T h e a m o u n t s of e , e , e and e\% are representa

tive of e x t r e m u m points of d , d , d and d equa
t i o n s , respectively. If t h e second derivation is applied
3

To obtain the extremum point, at first, the equa

tions of each curve in Fig. 8 were obtained using inter
polation via Newton divided difference. Table 4 shows
t h e steps t o gain t h e equations t h a t describe t h e case
depth vs activator content for different t i m e , w h e r e ,
d is defined as t h e case depth ( m m ) and e is t h e
m a s s percent of activator material. By deriving from
the equations m e n t i o n e d , t h e e x t r e m u m point of
each equation w a s obtained ( T a b l e 5 ) .
Table 4

Vol. 19

i2

Energizer c o n t e n t s

Fig. 8 Case depth versus amounts of activator

material for different carburizing time

Steps to gain equations that describe case depth vs activator content for
carburizing time of 3 h ( a ) , 5 h ( b ) , 8 h (c) and 12 h (d)

3 h

5 h

12 h

8 h

eo

e\

10

10

10

10

15

15

15

15

0. 18

0. 2 4

0. 3 2

0.42

d(ei )

0. 65

0. 7 6

0. 8 0

0. 8 9

din )

0.47

0. 5 7

0. 6 4

0. 74
0. 0 9 4

d(e

d\_eo , l ]

0. 0 9 4

0. 1 0 4

0. 0 9 6

dlei , e z ]

- 0 . 036

- 0 . 038

- 0 . 032

- 0 . 030

-0.0128

-0.012 4

dlec , e z ]
di

- 0 . 013

-0.0142

- 0 . 0 1 3 e + 0. 2 8 9 e - 0 . 9 4

- Q . 0 1 4 2 e + 0. 3 1 7 e - 0 . 9 9

N o t e = die,,

,]=

e\

, die .e,l
1

eo

'

0. 0 1 2 4 e + 0. 2 8 e - 0 . 6 7
2

0 . 012 8e + 0 . 288e0. 80

<*[e , . , , ] =

< f C

" ' ^ ~ ^

e% e\

'

^ .

ez ~~ eo

c/i = i i ( e o ) + ( e o ) ^ [ e o e\] + ( e o ) ( e \ )d[_e , e\ , e{\-> i = 3 5 , 8 , 1 2 ,

Table 5

Extremum points of equations in Table 4 for

different carburizing time

Time/

Extremum

Derivation

point/%

d' = 0 = > ( - 2 X 0 . 0 1 3 ) e + 0 . 2 8 9 == 0

3 = 1 1 . 11

d\ == o = > ( - - 2 X 0 . 0 1 4 2 ) e + 0 . 3 1 7 = 0

e = l l . 16

d\- = o = > ( - - 2 X 0 . 0 1 2 8 ) e 8 + 0 . 2 8 8 = 0

8 = 1 1 . 2 5

12

d'u = 0 = > ( - 2 X 0 . 0 1 2 4 ) e i 2 + 0 . 2 8 = 0

eiz = l l . 2 9

happens and case depth increases. In fact, up to 1 1 % ,

the activator material decomposes continuously and
according to Eqn. ( 1 9 ) , t h e pressure of C 0 in t h e
carburizing pack increases continuously. T h e p r o
duced C 0 gas reacts with t h e carbon atoms within
t h e pack according t o E q n . ( 1 7 ) and C O gas is p r o
duced. C O gas causes carburizing phenomenon on
the surface of steel. In other w o r d s , up to 11 % , t h e
p r e s s u r e ratio of C O to C 0 in t h e carburizing b o x is
more t h a n t h e equilibrium ratio of C O to C 0 .
2

on t h e equations from d to d it can be observed

t h a t t h e second derivation is less t h a n zero. T h u s ,
e x t r e m u m points are t h e m a x i m u m points. Fig. 8
and T a b l e 5 show t h a t ;
3

1) F o r all of t h e carburized s p e c i m e n s , t h e m a x
i m u m case depth is obtained at about 1 1 % of activa
t o r material. T h i s m e a n s t h a t by increasing activator
material up to 1 1 % , t h e carburizing p h e n o m e n o n

2) If t h e a m o u n t of activator material exceeds

1 1 % , decarburizing p h e n o m e n o n happens and t h e
case depth decreases. In this situation, more sodium
carbonate is decomposed, and m o r e C O gas is pro
duced. A small a m o u n t of C 0 g a s enters Eqn. ( 1 7 )
and produces C O g a s , and a t r e m e n d o u s part of this
gas causes oxidation in t h e b o x environment. A s a
z

Issue 1 1

Simulation of Case Depth of Cementation Steels According to Fick's Laws

r e s u l t , C 0 gas a t t r a c t s atomic carbon from the sur

face of steel according to Eqn. ( 2 0 ) .
2

77

0.35

C0 +C^2CO
(20)
3) Fig. 8 shows that the maximum amount of case
depth is obtained at 1 1 % of activator material and the
time equals to 12 h. In other w o r d s , at this t i m e ,
the m a x i m u m rate of carburizing p h e n o m e n o n h a p
pens. By quenching this specimen in oil, m a x i m u m
retained austenite is formed in the microstructure.
2

U s i n g T a b l e 3 , t h e relation between the case

d e p t h s vs carburizing time for different a m o u n t s of
activator material can be plotted (Fig. 9 ) . F r o m this
f i g u r e , the following results are deductible:

4
6
8
Carburizing time/h

10

12

Fig. 10 Comparison between effective case depth and

total case depth and effective case depth in actual
position without activator

the other hand. Actual position describes the samples

carburized in a pack without activator material.
T h e difference between the mathematical solu
tion with the actual position refers to the carbon con
tent of the steel surface. According to the F i c k ' s
second l a w , it has been assumed t h a t carbon concen
tration in the steel surface is constant. B u t , in actual
position, the carbon concentration exceeds C , so
the case depth increases.
s

5
Carburizing time/h
Fig. 9

Case depth vs carburizing time for different

amounts of activator material

1) For different a m o u n t s of activator m a t e r i a l ,

by increasing the carburizing t i m e , the case depth in
creases. But the increasing slope of the case depth is
high for the first 3 4 h. By increasing the time be
yond 3 4 h , the increasing slope of case depth de
creases. T h e reason for this phenomenon is t h a t , at
initial t i m e , more carbon atoms enter the carburizing
p r o c e s s , and the increasing rate of carbon diffusion
is h i g h , b u t for more carburizing t i m e , less carbon
a t o m s remain in the pack, and the increasing rate of
c a r b o n diffusion is low.
2 ) F o r every carburizing t i m e , the amount of
case d e p t h for the carburized specimen in the pack
w i t h 1 5 % activator material is lower than the case
d e p t h of t h e carburized specimen in the pack with
1 0 % of activator material. This refers to the decarburizing p h e n o m e n o n in the pack having 1 5 % activa
t o r m a t e r i a l . Fig. 10 shows the difference between
t h e effective case depth and the total case depth (ex
t r a c t e d from t h e mathematical solution) on the one
h a n d and t h e effective case depth in actual position on

Conclusions

1) T h e experimental case depth of DIN 18CrNi8

s t e e l , at any t e m p e r a t u r e , in actual position is more
t h a n the effective case depth and the total case depth
extracted from mathematical solution. A l s o , in
mathematical solution, the total case depth of this
steel is 1. 06 times more than its effective case depth.
2) By increasing the carburizing t i m e , t h e case
depth increases. B u t , at first, the increasing slope of
case depth is high. By increasing the carburizing time
further, the increasing slope of case depth decreases.
3) By increasing of activator material content up
to about 5 % , the case depth for all carburizing times
does not change greatly; h o w e v e r , for more a m o u n t s
of activator material from 5 % to 1 1 % , the case
depth increases and then decreases. In addition,
m a x i m u m case depth is gained using 1 1 % activator
material for the carburizing time of 12 h.
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