Study on homogeneity and repeatability of single-piece-flow carburizing system

The purpose of this paper was to determine the homogeneity and replicability of carburized layers obtained by a continuous single-piece flow method. A series of 100 gears was carburized under low pressure atmosphere using the single-piece flow method. The microstructures of the obtained carbon layers were investigated. Hardness penetration pattern and carbon concentration profiles were tested. The findings have shown the validity/correctness of the microstructures of the carburized layers obtained by the single-piece flow method. It has been proved that the carbon layer in every gear is uniform, what confirms that each element is affected by the same process conditions and the gears in the whole series can be precisely reproduced.