Case hardening is defined as carburisation, hardening, and annealing of a workpiece made of steel. The goal of case hardening is a material with a soft and tough core and a hard surface. The edge layer of the workpiece is enriched with carbon in a suitable carburisation medium. By diffusing the carbon from the enriched edge layer into the core, a carbon profile is created that typically shows a reduction in carbon content the greater the edge distance to the core is. Hardening and annealing are carried out after carburisation. These processes are used to adjust case hardness and case hardening depth.
Glossary