1. Definitions and principles

1.1 Cementation

The carburizing treatment applied to steels is a thermochemical surface treatment for carbon enrichment carried out in the austenitic phase, generally 900 to 980°C. Higher temperatures can be envisaged for low-pressure carburizing (subject to metallurgical compatibility).

• After cooling by quenching, it is designed to achieve surface hardening, creating a hardness gradient from the surface to the core.

  We know that the surface hardening of an iron-carbon alloy by martensitic transformation is directly related to its carbon content (figure 1...