Fatigue Crack Initiation and Propagation on Nitrided Ferritic Surfaces in Stainless Steel 439

Ferritic stainless steel grade 439 is not one of the most commonly used materials in the area of industrial application as compare to other stainless steel such as austenitic stainless steel grade 316 and 304 especially in the area of case hardening process of nitriding. Hence, a constructive study had been undertaken to study the process of nitriding on the ferritic stainless steel grade 439 and the effect of nitriding whether it has a significant improvement in crack initiation and propagation. The experimental procedures of the nitriding process and equipment involved were being determined through numbers of literature review. The effect of nitriding on fatigue crack initiation and propagation of various other grades of stainless steel plates was also being so that the expected results of the experiment could be understood prior to the experiment. The methodology of the project study had been arranged accordingly from initial literature review of the subject until the experimental procedures and the analysis method was determined.