Investigation of the Tribological and the Corrosion Behavior of Liquid Nitrided EN31 Steel

Mathew Alphonse; Murali Krishna Padala; Murugu Nachippan Nachiappan; Prince Jeya Lal Lazar

doi:10.31127/tuje.1674812

Investigation of the Tribological and the Corrosion Behavior of Liquid Nitrided EN31 Steel

Abstract

EN31 steel is a high-carbon alloy steel used for several industrial applications like drilling & power tools. The novelty of this study lies in the optimization of liquid nitriding duration for the EN31 steel, which enhances the surface properties and a prolonged service life in tribological applications. In order to overcome the limitations, this study has aimed to investigate the impact of liquid nitriding at 570°C for 30, 60, and 90 minutes to study the hardness, corrosion and wear properties of EN31 steel. As a thermochemical surface treatment for EN31 steel, the study explores the application of liquid nitriding. Compared to traditional methods like gas nitriding, carburizing, hard chrome plating and hardening, the liquid nitriding provides uniform compound layer formation, enhanced surface hardness, and faster processing with less distortion. Performance of the modified EN31 steel post nitriding process was evaluated through various tests, like the pin-on-disk method to assess wear resistance and neutral salt spray testing as per ASTM B117 to measure corrosion resistance. Noticeable improvements in the steels tribological and anti-corrosive properties after nitriding were demonstrated through the test results. Upon analysing the microstructure, a uniform, defect-free nitride layer was revealed. The study evaluated that the 90-minute nitriding cycle resulted in the best performance related to corrosion resistance, wear resistance and surface hardness. A maximum hardness of 31.7 HRC would be achieved during the 90 minute cycle. Interestingly, this cycle also produced the deepest effective case depth thereby enhancing durability of steel under intense load bearing conditions. In addition, the outstanding corrosion resistance of steel was confirmed during 24-hour salt spray testing as no red rust was detected on the nitride samples. The test findings are validated the liquid nitriding as an economical surface treatment process for improving performance as well as durability and also reducing maintenance needs of EN31 steel for applications like drilling tools and for enhancing its reliability in abrasive and corrosive environments.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr. Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology

Ethical Statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Materials Science and Technologies

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Mathew Alphonse ^*
0000-0001-8952-2259
India

Murali Krishna Padala
0009-0008-5085-7295
India

Murugu Nachippan Nachiappan
0000-0003-1488-9894
India

Prince Jeya Lal Lazar
0000-0003-0214-2363
India

Publication Date

October 8, 2025

Submission Date

April 12, 2025

Acceptance Date

August 23, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Volume: 9 Number: 4

DOI

https://doi.org/10.31127/tuje.1674812

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA78MN87KZ

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Alphonse, M., Padala, M. K., Nachiappan, M. N., & Lazar, P. J. L. (2025). Investigation of the Tribological and the Corrosion Behavior of Liquid Nitrided EN31 Steel. Turkish Journal of Engineering, 9(4), 621-629. https://doi.org/10.31127/tuje.1674812

AMA

1.Alphonse M, Padala MK, Nachiappan MN, Lazar PJL. Investigation of the Tribological and the Corrosion Behavior of Liquid Nitrided EN31 Steel. TUJE. 2025;9(4):621-629. doi:10.31127/tuje.1674812

Chicago

Alphonse, Mathew, Murali Krishna Padala, Murugu Nachippan Nachiappan, and Prince Jeya Lal Lazar. 2025. “Investigation of the Tribological and the Corrosion Behavior of Liquid Nitrided EN31 Steel”. Turkish Journal of Engineering 9 (4): 621-29. https://doi.org/10.31127/tuje.1674812.

EndNote

Alphonse M, Padala MK, Nachiappan MN, Lazar PJL (October 1, 2025) Investigation of the Tribological and the Corrosion Behavior of Liquid Nitrided EN31 Steel. Turkish Journal of Engineering 9 4 621–629.

IEEE

[1]M. Alphonse, M. K. Padala, M. N. Nachiappan, and P. J. L. Lazar, “Investigation of the Tribological and the Corrosion Behavior of Liquid Nitrided EN31 Steel”, TUJE, vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 621–629, Oct. 2025, doi: 10.31127/tuje.1674812.

ISNAD

Alphonse, Mathew - Padala, Murali Krishna - Nachiappan, Murugu Nachippan - Lazar, Prince Jeya Lal. “Investigation of the Tribological and the Corrosion Behavior of Liquid Nitrided EN31 Steel”. Turkish Journal of Engineering 9/4 (October 1, 2025): 621-629. https://doi.org/10.31127/tuje.1674812.

JAMA

1.Alphonse M, Padala MK, Nachiappan MN, Lazar PJL. Investigation of the Tribological and the Corrosion Behavior of Liquid Nitrided EN31 Steel. TUJE. 2025;9:621–629.

MLA

Alphonse, Mathew, et al. “Investigation of the Tribological and the Corrosion Behavior of Liquid Nitrided EN31 Steel”. Turkish Journal of Engineering, vol. 9, no. 4, Oct. 2025, pp. 621-9, doi:10.31127/tuje.1674812.

Vancouver

1.Mathew Alphonse, Murali Krishna Padala, Murugu Nachippan Nachiappan, Prince Jeya Lal Lazar. Investigation of the Tribological and the Corrosion Behavior of Liquid Nitrided EN31 Steel. TUJE. 2025 Oct. 1;9(4):621-9. doi:10.31127/tuje.1674812

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