FEATURE | Vacuum/

Surface Treating

LPC and LPN of Tool Steel

Fuel-Injection Nozzles
Maciej Korecki, Michal Bazel, Michal Sut SECO/WARWICK S.A.; Swiebodzin, POLAND
Piotr Kula, Emilia Wolowiec Lodz University of Technology; Lodz, POLAND

Fig. 1.
Fuelinjection
nozzle
(Courtesy
of Bosch)

This article describes the newest achievements in the heat treatment of dieselengine fuel-injection nozzles made of hot-working tool steel. Different methods
of improving surface properties have been applied by means of vacuum carburizing
and vacuum nitriding, which is especially suitable for elements characterized by
difficult shape geometry such as blind holes. Variable process parameters have
been considered in terms of sequence and temperature as well as their influence on
surface microstructure, hardness and case-layer uniformity.

complex technology was invented involving a thermochemical process supplemented by high-pressure

gas quenching (HPGQ), deep freezing
and tempering. All technological steps
were performed in a single-chamber vacuum furnace equipped with low-pressure
carburizing (LPC), low-pressure nitriding
(LPN) and HPGQ.
Introduction
Fuel-injection nozzles (Fig. 1) are a key
element of a diesel engine that influence
performance properties, including fuel
consumption and reliability. Furthermore, they play a major role in emission of
harmful substances. In the course of cyclic
operation, they withstand various loads,
work at raised temperatures under high
pressures (1,500-3,000 bar) and withstand
intense streams of liquids (above 300 feet/
second).[1] Due to these factors, nozzles are

prone to accelerated wear and defects (Fig.

2). The design of fuel-injection nozzles
must ensure appropriate strength, impact,
fatigue resistance and abrasion of passage
channels.
Nozzles are made of medium- and highalloy steels featuring surface hardening.
Typically, the tensile strength of the core
remains within the range of 1,000-1,500
MPa for steel grades 8620, 4320 and 9310,
while extended surface hardness (above
60 HRC) is obtained during post-carburization hardening. Adequate heat treatment is performed in vacuum furnaces
that feature vacuum carburizing (LPC)
and HPGQ (15 bar and above). Vacuum
carburizing enables obtaining case uniformity in the thin nozzle channels of
complicated shapes, which are inaccessible to conventional carburizing atmospheres. On the other hand, gas quench
eliminates the inconvenience of cleaning
after quenching in oil. In some solutions,

Fig. 2. Typical nozzle defects: cracking (left) and abrasive wear (right)

nitriding is applied in place of carburizing

to harden the surface.
For certain applications, injection
nozzles are made of even more durable
steels (e.g., hot-working tool steels). In such
cases, the strength increases decidedly
(over 2,000 MPa), but the surface still
requires additional reinforcement.
The Object and Objective of Tests
and Research
The object of testing was injection nozzles
made of H11 steel shaped as presented in
Fig. 3. The objective of testing was to create a uniformly hardened case layer on
the nozzle surfaces (in particular upon
the internal surfaces) while maintaining
appropriate core hardness. The required
case layers were created through vacuum
carburizing and nitriding.

Fig. 3. Fuel-injection nozzle used for testing

IndustrialHeating.com - March 2014 39

FEATURE | Vacuum/
Surface Treating

LPC 860 (1580F)

LPC 920 (1688F)
LPC 950 (1742F)
LPC 1020 (1868F)

C = 10 minutes
C = 4 minutes
C = 4 minutes
C = 2 minutes

D = 70 minutes
D = 40 minutes
D = 20 minutes
D = 6 minutes

Figure 5 presents a longitudinal cross

section through a nozzle following LPC
at the temperature of 1688F (920C). A
uniform case was obtained both on the
outer and inner channels of the nozzle,
40 March 2014 - IndustrialHeating.com

Fig. 5. Uniformly carburized case layer

in a nozzle cross section following LPC
920 process

1000 m

900

LPC 860

800
700
600

M1
M2
M3
M4
M5
HV550

1000
800
700
600

500

500

400

400

1000
900
800
700

300

0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8

Depth, mm
LPC 950

M1
M2
M3
M4
M5
HV550

600

LPC 1020

800
700
600
500

400

400
0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8
Depth, mm

M1
M2
M3
M4
M5
HV550

0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8

Depth, mm

900

500
300
0

1000

HV1

300
0

LPC 920

900
HV1

1000

HV1

LPC Process
Four heat-treating sequences based on
vacuum carburizing were conducted. Carburizing was preceded with prenitriding
using PreNitLPC technology[2] in order
to restrict the growth of austenite grains
at high temperature. The entire process
sequence consisted of: prenitriding, vacuum carburizing (using FineCarb technology[3]) at various temperatures, which
was followed by (direct) quenching in
5-bar nitrogen, deep freezing at -100F for
2 hours and tempering for 2 hours at 390F
(200C).
Carburizing treatments were performed at four temperatures: 1580F
(860C), 1688F (920C), 1742F (950C)
and 1868F (1020C), in each case targeted at 0.60% surface carbon and a predefined case depth of approximately 0.016
inch (0.4 mm).
Total times in the sequence of carburizing and diffusion for individual treatments
were as follows:

Fig. 4. Standard single-chamber vacuum furnace, SECO/WARWICK model 15.0VPT4035/36IQCN Vector Line

HV1

Testing Equipment
A standard SECO/WARWICK Vector Line single-chamber vacuum furnace
model 15.0VPT-4035/36IQCN (Fig. 4) was
utilized for the tests. The working space
was 24 inches high x 36 inches long x 24
inches wide, and it was equipped with LPC
and LPN systems and HPGQ (15 bar).
Carburizing was performed with a gas
mixture of acetylene (C2H2), ethylene
(C2H4) and hydrogen (H2), while ammonia (NH3) was used for nitriding. The
450-pound workload consisted of ballast
rods, among which the tested injection
nozzles were placed. The workload reflected typical conditions found in industrial
heat treatment.

300

M1
M2
M3

M4
M5
HV550

0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8

Depth, mm
M1

Fig. 6. Hardness profiles obtained at

selected points M1-5 in LPC processes

M5
M2

M3

M4

which is a characteristic of vacuum

carburizing. The uniformity of the case
layers obtained at individual treatments is
presented in Fig. 6 as hardness profiles at
selected M1-5 points.
After the LPC 860 treatment, a uniformly hardened case layer was obtained
on the outer and inner surfaces of the

nozzle. The surface hardness was approximately 850 HV at 0.002 inch (0.05 mm),
and the core hardness was 500 HV at the
predefined case-layer depth of 0.014 inch
(0.35 mm) for core hardness + 50 HV.
The LPC 920 treatment yielded a uniform case layer of surface hardness 820
HV and case-layer depth of 0.012 inch

LPC 1580F (860C)

LPC 1688F (920C)

10 m

LPC 1742F (950C)

10 m

LPC 1868F (1020C)

10 m

10 m

Fig. 7. Surface microstructure after LPC processing at various temperatures

1000

LPN

900
HV1

800
700
600

Surface

M1
M2
M3
M4
M5
HV550

500
400
300

0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8

Depth, mm

100 m

Fig. 8. Hardness profile and case-layer microstructure following LPN treatment

Table 1. Summary of results
Process

Surface hardness
[HV/HRC]

Core hardness
[HV/HRC]

Case depth
[inch]

Case uniformity

LPC 860

850/66

500/49

0.014

good

LPC 920

820/65

590/55

0.012

very good

LPC 950

850/66

620/56

0.014

good

LPC 1020

850/66

680/59

0-0.016

insufficient

LPN

>900/67

530/51

0.007

very good

(0.30 mm) for core hardness of 590 HV.

Also, carburizing at 1742F (LPC 950)
resulted in appropriate uniformity and
case-layer parameters: depth 0.014 inch
(0.35 mm), surface harness 850 HV and
core hardness 620 HV.
It was only the LPC 1020 (1868F)
process that failed to provide satisfactory
outcomes. The case layer appeared only
on the outer surfaces of the nozzle while
none appeared inside. Maximum hardness was 850 HV at the surface and 680
HV at the core. The hardness profile in
the outer layer indicates a drop at the surface, which is suggestive of improper microstructure.
Figure 7 presents a comparison of the
case-layer microstructure after the individual treatments. A characteristic feature
is globular carbides in the matrix of martensite. The carbide size and number increases parallel to the increase of process
temperature. They tend to create distinct
structures at higher temperatures a network at austenite grain boundaries as in
the LPC 1020 process at 1868F.
LPN Process
The nitrided layer was created as a result
of a complex process composed of: austenitization at 1888F (1030C), quenching in 5-bar nitrogen, tempering at 1076F
(580C) for 2 hours and vacuum nitriding
at the temperature of 1040F (560C) for
4 hours.
The results of the process are presented
in Fig. 8 as hardness profiles measured at
selected spots on the inside and outside
surfaces of the nozzle (M1-5). In the course
of nitriding, a very uniform hardened case
was obtained of surface hardness in excess
of 900 HV at the depth of 0.002 inch (0.05
mm) and case depth of nearly 0.007 inch
(0.18 mm) at core hardness of 530 HV.
Conclusion
The processes of vacuum carburizing
and nitriding enable uniformly hardened
case layers to be obtained on H11 tool
steel fuel-injection nozzle surfaces with
limited access. For vacuum carburizing,
the surface hardness exceeds 800 HV for
IndustrialHeating.com - March 2014 41

FEATURE | Vacuum/
Surface Treating

a tempering temperature of 392F (hardness decreases as tempering temperature

rises). The core hardness depends on the
quenching temperature and is higher parallel to the rise in temperature. For the
tests from 49-59 HRC, it also depends on
tempering temperature.
Carburizing at 1868F (1020C) failed
to create proper uniformity and microstructure (carbide network) due to high
intensity of treatment (uncontrollable)
and the tendency to create carbides in the
steel at higher temperature. LPC processes
at that temperature need to be refined.
Promising results were attained for the
vacuum nitriding process, including caselayer uniformity and the highest surface
hardness (in excess of 900 HV) as well as
stability of case-layer parameters at temperatures exceeding 1000F (538C).
Based on this study, the case-hardening
technology of tool steel fuel-injection noz-

zles by vacuum carburizing and nitriding

has been developed, tested and is ready for
industrial implementation.
Further research will focus on improvement of LPC processes at high temperatures and on using hybrid carburized and
nitrided case layers. IH
For more information: Contact Maciej
Korecki, Ph.D. Eng., SECO/WARWICK S.A.
Sobieskiego 8, 66-200 Swiebodzin, Poland;
tel.: +48 683820506; fax: +48 683820555;
e-mail:
maciej.korecki@secowarwick.com;
web: www.secowarwick.com or Professor
Piotr Kula, PhD. Eng., Technical University
of Lodz, Institute of Materials, Science and
Engineering, Stefanowskiego 1/15, 90-924
Lodz, Poland; tel.: +48 426313031; fax: +48

426313038; e-mail: piokula@p.lodz.pl; web:

http://iim.p.lodz.pl/en/

References
1. P. J. Blau, N. Yang, Materials for high pressure fuel injection systems, US Dept. of Energy, poster presentation May 10, 2011
2. Kula, P.; Pietrasik, R.; Dybowski, K.; Korecki,
M.; Olejnik, J. Prenit LPC - the modern technology for automotive, New Challenges. In:
Heat Treatment and Surface Engineering,
Dubrownik-Cavtat, Croatia, 2009, 165-170.
3. Kula, P.; Korecki, M.; Pietrasik, R.; Woowiec,
E.; Dybowski, K.; Koodziejczyk, .; Atraszkiewicz, R.; Krasowski, M. FineCarb - the
flexible system for low pressure carburizing.
New options and performance, The Japan
Society for Heat Treatment 2009, 49 (1),
133-136.

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