Provided is a steel component with excellent surface fatigue strength. The steel component has a nitride compound layer with a thickness of 5.0 μm to 30.0 μm and a hardened layer in an order from a component surface to a component inside, where a thickness of a porous layer on an outermost surface of the nitride compound layer is 3.0 μm or less and 40.0% or less of a thickness of the nitride compound layer, and the hardened layer has a hardness of HV600 or more at a position of 50 μm inward from the component surface, a hardness of HV400 or more at a position from the component surface to the component inside of 400 μm, and a hardness of HV250 or more at a position from the component surface to the component inside of 600 μm.

Provided is a steel component with excellent surface fatigue strength. The steel component has a nitride compound layer with a thickness of 5.0 μm to 30.0 μm and a hardened layer in an order from a component surface to a component inside, where a thickness of a porous layer on an outermost surface of the nitride compound layer is 3.0 μm or less and 40.0% or less of a thickness of the nitride compound layer, and the hardened layer has a hardness of HV600 or more at a position of 50 μm inward from the component surface, a hardness of HV400 or more at a position from the component surface to the component inside of 400 μm, and a hardness of HV250 or more at a position from the component surface to the component inside of 600 μm.

The invention relates to a method for producing a sintered component comprising the steps: providing a metallic powder; filling the powder into a powder press; pressing the powder to form a green compact; removing the green compact from the powder press; sintering the green compact into a sintered component with pores; optional redensification of the sintered component; hardening of the sintered component, wherein the pores of the sintered component, prior to hardening at least in that region of the surface of the sintered component which is subjected to a hardening, are at least partially filled with a filling agent.

Metal components subject to wear or contact fatigue in a first area, and subject to bending, axial and/or torsional stress loading in a second area comprise a surface hardened, first surface layer in the first area, and a surface compressive-stress treated, second surface layer in the second area. The second surface layer has a material hardness different from, and typically lower than, the first surface layer, and induced residual compressive stress to improve fatigue strength. Example components described include a gear, a cog, a pinion, a rack, a splined shaft, a splined coupling, a torqueing tool and a nut driving tool. A hybrid manufacturing process is described, including area-selective surface hardening combined with a process to add compressive stress to fatigue failure prone areas.

Process for pre-treatment of a surface of a chromium containing corrosion resistant metallic substrate prior to further processing, wherein the metallic substrate is brought into contact with an in-situ generated activating agent, being the thermal decomposition product of a hydrofluoroolefin, the substrate and the activating agent are heated, and optionally the activating agent is partly or entirely removed before further processing.

Process for pre-treatment of a surface of a chromium containing corrosion resistant metallic substrate prior to further processing, wherein the metallic substrate is brought into contact with an in-situ generated activating agent, being the thermal decomposition product of a hydrofluoroolefin, the substrate and the activating agent are heated, and optionally the activating agent is partly or entirely removed before further processing.

A hybrid method of surface hardening metallic components using a combination of chemical modification achieved through additive manufacturing and/or diffusion-based processing with transformation-based processing using a high energy density heat source. The hybrid process results in increased surface hardness and/or increased average case hardness and/or increased case depth compared to either treatment individually.

A method of case hardening a titanium part, including placing the titanium part within a chamber; evacuating or purging the chamber; heating the titanium part placed within the chamber; introducing a gas containing cyanogen into the chamber; and exposing the titanium part placed within the chamber to the introduced gas containing cyanogen.

A method of case hardening a titanium part, including placing the titanium part within a chamber; evacuating or purging the chamber; heating the titanium part placed within the chamber; introducing a gas containing cyanogen into the chamber; and exposing the titanium part placed within the chamber to the introduced gas containing cyanogen.

The disclosure provides a metal surface layer treating method, a metal assembly and an electronic device. The metal surface layer treating method includes: putting metal into a vacuum chamber, and vacuumizing the vacuum chamber to a first vacuum degree; adding a mixed gas of acetylene, nitrogen and hydrogen into the vacuum chamber; and heating the vacuum chamber to a temperature above an ambient temperature. In response to the temperature in the vacuum chamber reaching a first temperature value above the ambient temperature and a gas pressure of the vacuum chamber reaching a first pressure value, performing glow discharge so that a carbon-nitrogen gradient hardening layer is formed on a surface layer of the metal. The method includes removing part of a carbon layer of the surface layer of the carbon-nitrogen gradient hardening layer.