Abstract: The behavior of gaseous nitriding on the surface nanocrystallized (SNCed) steel was investigated.The mild steel discs were SNCed on one side by using the method of ultrasonic shot peening. The opposite side of the discs maintained the original coarse-grained condition. The gaseous nitriding was subsequently carried out at three different temperatures: 460,500 and 560°C. The compound layer growth and diffusion behavior were then studied. It was revealed that SNC pretreatment greatly enhances both diffusion coefficient D and surface reaction rate. As a result, nitriding time could be reduced to the half.It was also found that the growth of compound layer with nitriding time conformed with parabolic relationship from the start of nitriding process in the SNCed samples.

Key words: Nitriding process, Ultrasonic shot peening, Surface nanocrystallization (SNC)