O. V. Ivanova

Surface of high-chromium steel modified by an intense pulsed electron beam

The formation of nanostructural multiphase surface layers in high-chromium 12Х18Н10Т and 20Х13 stainless steel under the action of an intense pulsed electron beam in a SOLO system is studied. The Fe–Cr–C system is thermodynamically analyzed. Alloying Fe–Cr alloys with carbon considerably changes their structural and phase state and determines the regions of existence of the carbides M23C6, M7C3, M3C2, and M3C with α and γ phases. The temperature field formed in the surface layer of the steel under the action of the electron beam is numerically calculated. When the energy density of the electron beam is 10 J/cm2, regardless of the pulse length of the electron beam (50–200 μs), the maximum temperature at the sample surface corresponding to the end of the pulse is less than the melting point of the steel. The structure and the mechanical and tribological properties of the surface layer of high-chromium 12Х18Н10Т and 20Х13 steel formed under the action of the intense pulsed electron beam are investigated. It is found that electron-beam treatment of the steel with melting and subsequent high-speed crystallization is accompanied by solution of the initial carbide particles of composition M23C6—specifically, (Cr, Fe)23C6—and hence saturation of the crystal lattice in the surface layer with carbon and chromium atoms. In addition, submicronic cells of dendritic crystallization are formed, and nanoparticles of titanium carbide and chromium carbide are deposited. Overall, electron-beam treatment improves the surface and tribological properties of the materials. For 12Х18Н10Т steel, the hardness of the surface layer is increased by a factor of 1.5 and the wear resistance by a factor of 1.5, while the frictional coefficient is decreased by a factor of 1.6. For 20Х13 steel, the microhardness is increased by a factor of 1.5 and the wear resistance by a factor of 3.2, while the frictional coefficient is decreased by a factor of 2.3.

Modification of the titanium film–aluminum substrate system by a high-intensity pulsed electron beam with a submillisecond duration

Numerical simulation of the thermal processes that occur during doping of an Al surface with titanium by the method of liquid-phase mixing of a film–substrate system using an intense pulsed electron beam is carried out. As a result of our studies, it is shown that melting of the Ti-film–Al-substrate system makes it possible to form a multiphase submicrocrystalline structure with high strength and tribological properties in the surface layer.

Effect of electron beam treatment on structural change in titanium alloy VT-0 at high-cycle fatigue

Changes in the surface of the fractured structure of commercially pure titanium VT1-0 under treatment by low-energy high-current electron beams and the subsequent cycle fatigue to the failure were analyzed by transmission scanning and transmission electron diffraction microscopy. The increase in the fatigue life of samples in 2.2 times after treatment by electron beams was established. An assumption was made that the increase in the fatigue life of titanium, grade VT1-0, was due to the formation of a lamellar substructure conditioned by high-velocity crystallization of the titanium surface layer.

Modification of the surface layer of the system coating (TiCuN)/substrate (A7) by an intensive electron beam

In order to study the conditions of modification of the surface layer of the system coating (TiCuN)/substrate (A7) an analysis of processes occurring in the surface layer of the system wear-resistant coating/substrate irradiated by an intensive pulsed electron beam at a submillisecond exposure time has been carried out on the example of aluminum and titanium nitride. Irradiation has been carried out under conditions ensuring melting and crystallization of the surface layer of the material by a nonequilibrium phase diagram. It has been experimentally established that irradiation of the system coating (TiCuN)/substrate (A7) by an intensive electron beam is accompanied by changes in the phase composition of the material. It is evident that nanostructuring of the aluminum layer adjacent to the coating, and formation in it of nitride phase particles will contribute to hardening of the surface layer of the material, creating a transition sublayer between a solid coating and a relatively soft volume. The carried out analysis shows that binary nitrides based on TiN1-x are most likely to form under nonequilibrium conditions, since the homogeneity range of this compound is rather large. On the other hand, formation of the ternary compound Ti3CuN, which can be formed after an arc plasma-assisted deposition of titanium nitride of the composition TiCuN and by the subsequent intensive pulsed electron beam exposure, cannot be excluded.

Surface structure of commercially pure VT1-0 titanium irradiated by an intense pulsed electron beam

It is shown that pulsed electron beam irradiation of commercially pure titanium at a beam energy density of 10 J/cm2, pulse duration of 150 μs, number of pulses of N = 5 pulses, and pulse repetition frequency of 0.3 Hz with attendant polymorphic α→β→α transformations allows a more than five-fold decrease in the grain and subgrain sizes of the material structure.

Features of formation of structural-phase states on the surface of titanium alloy VT1-0 after electron-ion-plasma treatment

Complex modification of a surface of commercially pure titanium is realized. Firstly plasma is created by electrical explosion of a carbon-graphite fiber, of which surface was placed nanosized TiB2 powder. Then the surface of technically pure titanium is processed with this plasma. Finally, the modified surface was irradiated by an electron beam. Formation of multi-layer multiphase nanosized structure is revealed. It is shown that the maximum microhardness reached in a near-surface layer exceeds microhardness of a initial material more than by 10 times. Wear resistance of a blanket increases in 7.5; the friction coefficient decreases by 1.15 times.