Tailoring the mechanical properties of steel sheets using FeC films and diffusion annealing

In this work amorphous FeC films were deposited on thin sheets of interstitial free steel using physical vapor deposition. Annealing treatments were then carried out to diffuse C from the coating into the substrate at temperatures lower than those traditionally used in carburizing treatments. The yield stress was shown to significantly increase with annealing temperature from ~120MPa at 25°C up to a maximum of 300MPa at 630°C without any …