Control of the electron beam current during the pulse for alloying the surface of stainless steel with titanium and aluminum

Abstract

By irradiating the “film (Ti) / film (Al) / (12H18N10T/ AISI 304) substrate” system with a low (up to 25 keV) electron beam modulated during a pulse of up to 1 ms, the surface wear rate was reduced by ≈1300 times with a constant high (0.61–0.73) dry friction coefficient and a slight change in surface microhardness. The application of Ti and Al films with a thickness of 5 μm was carried out by the method of electric arc plasma-assisted spraying. The irradiation of the samples was performed by an electron source with an arc plasma cathode. The exposure modes were selected based on the results of numerical modeling in Comsol Multiphysics to ensure the fastest heating of the sample to the required temperatures and the retention of this temperature for a specified time. Electron beam alloying of the 12H18N10T steel with titanium and aluminum has not been previously studied. The methods of X-ray diffraction analysis, scanning and transmission diffraction electron microscopy were used to study the elemental and phase composition, the state of the defective substructure of samples irradiated with an electron beam in the identified optimal mode. The regularities of evolution of the defective substructure, phase and elemental composition, microhardness, wear resistance and friction coefficient of the “film (Ti) / film (Al) / (12H18N10T) substrate” system subjected to electron beam treatment have been revealed. Possible applications of this type of processing of steel parts for agriculture and mechanical engineering are indicated.