Carbides can be formed as a result of excessive surface-carbon content that has the potential to occur during carburizing if the carbon potential of the furnace atmosphere is not accurately controlled.
Carbides can also form as a result of carbon reaction with the following alloying elements: chromium, molybdenum, vanadium and titanium.
The carbides can exist in the following form: intergranular carbides, massive carbides, film carbides and globular carbides.
The uncontrolled formation of carbides can influence the following mechanical properties: hardness, residual stress, bending fatigue, contact fatigue and toughness.
Next time, we will discuss the things to consider when designing an optimized carburizing operation.