There is provided a precipitation hardening steel with the composition: C: 0.05-0.30 wt %, Ni: 3-9 wt %, Mo: 0.5-1.5 wt %, Al: 1-3 wt %, Cr: 2-14 wt %, V: 0.25-1.5 wt %, Co: 0-0.03 wt %, Mn: 0-0.5 wt %, Si: 0-0.3 wt %, and remaining part up to 100 wt % is Fe and impurity elements, with the additional proviso that the amounts of Al and Ni also fulfil Al=Ni/3±0.5 in wt %. There is the possibility to have very low amounts of cobalt, well below 0.01 wt %. The precipitation hardening steel displays, low segregation, high yield strength at elevated temperatures, high resistance against corrosion, and can also suitably be nitrided. The precipitation hardening steel is more economical to manufacture compared to steel according to the state of the art with the same strength at elevated temperatures.

A method of nitridation includes cyclically performing the following steps in situ within a processing chamber at a temperature less than about 400° C.: treating an unreactive surface of a substrate in the processing chamber to convert the unreactive surface to a reactive surface by exposing the unreactive surface to an energy flux, and nitridating the reactive surface using a nitrogen-based gas to convert the reactive surface to a nitride layer including a subsequent unreactive surface.

A method for manufacturing a part of nitrided steel includes a step of nitriding the part. After nitriding, laser shocking is carried out on a surface of the nitrided part.

There is provided a carburized bearing that is excellent in rolling contact fatigue life with a change in structure under a hydrogen-generating environment. In the carburized bearing, a chemical composition of a core portion consists of, in mass %, C: 0.25 to 0.45%, Si: 0.10 to 0.50 %, Mn: 0.40 to 0.70 %, P: 0.015% or less, S: 0.005% or less, Cr: 0.80 to 1.50%, Mo: 0.17 to 0.30%, V: 0.24 to 0.40%. Al: 0.005 to 0.100%, N: 0.0300% or less, O: 0.0015% or less, and the balance being Fe and impurities, and satisfies Formula (1) to Formula (4) described in the present specification. A proportion of a total area of CaO—CaS—MgO—Al.sub.2O.sub.3 composite oxides with respect to a total area of oxides in the carburized leaping is 30.0% or more, and a number density of oxides having an equivalent circle diameter of 20.0 μm or more is 15.0 pieces/mm.sup.2or less.

A method of nitridation includes cyclically performing the following steps in situ within a processing chamber at a temperature less than about 400° C.: directing an energy flux to a localized region of an unreactive surface of a substrate to convert the localized region of the unreactive surface to a localized reactive region: and selectively nitridating the localized reactive region using a nitrogen-based gas to convert the localized reactive region to a nitride layer.

A workpiece made from a self-passivating metal and having one or more surface regions defining a Beilby layer as a result of a previous metal shaping operation is activated for subsequent low temperature gas hardening by exposing the workpiece to the vapors produced by heating a non-polymeric N/C/H compound.

A crankshaft with improved seizure resistance is provided. A crankshaft having journals 11 and pins 12 includes a compound layer containing iron and nitrogen on its surface, wherein, in the compound layer, for both the journals 11 and pins 12, the porosity area ratio of the thinner one of a region from the surface to a depth of 3.0 μm and a region across the total thickness of the compound layer is not higher than 10.0%, and both the journals 11 and pins 12 have such a surface geometry that the arithmetical mean deviation of the primary profile, Pa, is not larger than 0.090 μm.

A grain-oriented electrical steel plate of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention has a groove formed on a surface, wherein a curvature radius RBb at a position where a depth of the groove is maximum is 0.2 μm to 100 μm, and a curvature radius RSb on the groove surface from the position where the depth of the groove is maximum to a quarter-way position of the depth D of the groove is 4 μm to 130 μm.

A permanent magnet may include a Fe16N2 phase in a strained state. In some examples, strain may be preserved within the permanent magnet by a technique that includes etching an iron nitride-containing workpiece including Fe16N2 to introduce texture, straining the workpiece, and annealing the workpiece. In some examples, strain may be preserved within the permanent magnet by a technique that includes applying at a first temperature a layer of material to an iron nitride-containing workpiece including Fe16N2, and bringing the layer of material and the iron nitride-containing workpiece to a second temperature, where the material has a different coefficient of thermal expansion than the iron nitride-containing workpiece. A permanent magnet including an Fe16N2 phase with preserved strain also is disclosed.

A system and method are detailed for aluminizing surfaces of metallic substrates, parts, and components with a protective alumina layer in-situ. Aluminum (Al) foil sandwiched between the metallic components and a refractory material when heated in an oxidizing gas under a compression load at a selected temperature forms the protective alumina coating on the surface of the metallic components. The alumina coating minimizes evaporation of volatile metals from the metallic substrates, parts, and components in assembled devices that can degrade performance during operation at high temperature.