Better ice skate blade

An ice skate blade, having two sides, the ice skate blade comprising a softer part along the center line of the blade and an increasing hardness that varies gradually towards the longitudinal lines on each side of the blade, said hardness made by heating the blade by use of a pulse plasma nitriding process.

An ice skate blade consisting of two side surfaces surrounding a center where wear of said blade is reduced by provision of a gradually increasing hardness from a hardness under Rockwell C-52 toward said center between said sides of said ice skate blade to a hardness of up to Rockwell C-75 at each side surface of said ice skate blade said gradually increasing hardness provided by a pulse plasma nitriding process.

An ice skate blade manufactured from a nitridable steel strip or sheet material which Rockwell C-53 and then nitrided by a vacuum pulsed plasma process where plasma activated nitrogen is infused into said steel at vacuum conditions and temperatures below 750 degrees C. such that said core hardness of said material is not changed while a nitrogen rich zone of between 50 and 200 microns is formed on and into said first and second surface of said material increasing the hardness of said first and second surfaces.

The claim in 8 where said plasma activated nitrogen is enhanced by the effect of argon in a hydrogen carrier stream which contains the nitrogen content entering the vacuum furnace.

The claim in 8 where said ice skate blade is finished ground flat by grinding methods after-nitriding and where said nitrogen rich zone remains after said grinding.

A process for manufacture of ice skate blades where strips of nitridable steel with a first and a second surface and with a thickness under {fraction (3/16)}th inch are pre hardened to Rockwell C-38 to /Rockwell C-53 and placed upon racks that allow free exposure of said first and second surfaces to gas and where said racks are placed into a vacuum furnace where a mixture of gases containing nitrogen in a carrier gas is introduced at temperatures below 750 degrees centigrade and at a partial pressure of nitrogen that allows the dissolution of nitrogen into said strips without saturation of the steel with nitrogen at the said first and said second surfaces of said strips for time sufficient to form a nitrogen rich zone from said first and said second surfaces into said strips for at least 50 microns an up to 200 microns from said first and said second surfaces.

The claim in 11 where said nitrogen is activated by a plasma field to improve the dissolution of said nitrogen into said strips.

The claim in 12. where said plasma field is pulsed to provide said plasma while controlling the heating effect from said plasma

The claim in 12 where an inert gas such as argon is added to further excite said plasma

The claim in 13 where an inert gas such as argon is added to further excite said plasma

The claim in 12 where carbon containing gas is added in sufficient trace amounts to prevent loss of dissolved carbon in said steel

The claim in 13 where carbon containing gas is added in sufficient trace amounts to prevent loss of dissolved carbon in said steel