Ion-beam nitriding of steels

The application of the ion beam technique to the nitriding of steels is described. It is indicated that the technique can be successfully applied to nitriding. Some of the structural changes obtained by this technique are similar to those obtained by ion nitriding. The main difference is the absence of the iron nitride diffraction lines. It is found that the dependence of the resultant microhardness on beam voltage for super nitralloy is different from that of 304 stainless steel

A study of nucleation and growth of thin films by means of computer simulation: General features

Some of the processes involved in the nucleation and growth of thin films were simulated by means of a digital computer. The simulation results were used to study the nucleation and growth kinetics resulting from the various processes. Kinetic results obtained for impingement, surface migration, impingement combined with surface migration, and with reevaporation are presented. A substantial fraction of the clusters may form directly upon impingement. Surface migration results in a decrease in cluster density, and reevaporation of atoms from the surface causes a further reduction in cluster density

A review of the use of wear-resistant coatings in the cutting-tool industry

The main mechanisms involved in the wear of cutting tools are reviewed. Evaluation of the different coating properties required for the reduction of the different kinds of wear was also reviewed. The types of coatings and their ranges of applicability are presented and discussed in view of their properties. Various coating processes as well as their advantages and shortcomings are described. Potential future developments in the field of wear-resistant coatings are discussed

Effect of mechanical surface and heat treatments on erosion resistance

The effects of mechanical surface treatments as well as heat treatments on the erosion resistance of 6061 aluminum alloy and 1045 steel were studied. Mechanical surface treatments were found to have little or no effect on the erosion resistance. This is due to the formation by particle impact of a work hardened surface layer regardless of the initial surface condition. The erosion resistance of Al single crystals is found to be independent of orientation. This is due to destruction of the surface microstructure and formation of a polycrystalline surface layer by the impact of erodant particles as observed by X-ray diffraction. While upon solution treatment of annealed 6061 aluminum the increase in hardness is accompanied by an increase in erosion resistance, precipitation treatment which causes a further increase in hardness results in slightly lower erosion resistance. Using two types of erodant particles, glass beads and crushed glass, the erosion rate is found to be strongly dependent on erodant particle shape, being an order of magnitude higher for erosion with crushed glass as compared to glass beads. While for erosion with glass beads heat treatment of 1045 steel had a profound effect on its erosion resistance, little or no such effect was observed for erosion with crushed glass

Adhesive material transfer in the erosion of an aluminum alloy

In order to study the basic mechanisms of erosion, hardened steel balls were shot into annealed 6061 Al alloy targets at velocity of up to 150 m/sec. The projectiles were collected and examined by a scanning electron microscope combined with energy-dispersive X-ray analyzer and it was found that target material in substantial amounts is adhesively transferred to the projectile. The transferred material forms on the projectile surface a layer the thickness of which increases with increases in impact velocity

Effects of erodant particle shape and various heat treatments on erosion resistance of plain carbon steel

Erosion tests were conducted on 1045 steel samples which had been subjected to different heat treatments. The weight of material removed upon erosion with glass beads and crushed glass was measured. The data show that there is no correlation between hardness and erosion resistance. The erosion rate was strongly dependent on the shape of erodant particles, being an order of magnitude higher for erosion with crushed glass than with glass beads. Heat treatment had a profound effect on the erosion resistance when the erodant particles were glass beads but little or no effect when the particles were crushed glass. It is thus concluded that different mechanisms of material removal are involved with these two erodants. This conclusion is supported by the surface morphology of annealed 1045 steel samples which had been eroded by these two types of erodant particles. SEM micrographs of the eroded surfaces show that for erosion with glass beads it is deformation induced fracture of surface layers

Scanning-electron-microscope study of normal-impingement erosion of ductile metals

Scanning electron microscopy was used to characterize the erosion of annealed copper and aluminum surfaces produced by both single- and multiple-particle impacts. Macroscopic 3.2 mm diameter steel balls and microscopic, brittle erodant particles were projected by a gas gun system so as to impact at normal incidence at speeds up to 140 m/sec. During the impacts by the brittle erodant particles, at lower speeds the erosion behavior was similar to that observed for the larger steel balls. At higher velocities, particle fragmentation and the subsequent cutting by the radial wash of debris created a marked change in the erosion mechanism

An investigation into the role of adhesion in the erosion of ductile metals

Existing theories of erosion of ductile metals based on cutting and deformation mechanisms predict no material removal at normal incidence which is contradictory to experience. Thus, other mechanisms may be involved. The possible role of adhesive material transfer during erosion is investigated by both single particle impingement experiments and erosion by streams of particles. Examination of the rebounding particles as well as the eroded surface yields evidence of a significant adhesive mechanism for the ductile metals investigated

Erosion of iron-chromium alloys by glass particles

The material loss upon erosion was measured for several iron-chromium alloys. Two types of erodent material were used: spherical glass beads and sharp particles of crushed glass. For erosion with glass beads the erosion resistance (defined as the reciprocal of material loss rate) was linearly dependent on hardness. This is in accordance with the erosion behavior of pure metals, but contrary to the erosion behavior of alloys of constant composition that were subjected to different heat treatments. For erosion with crushed glass, however, no correlation existed between hardness and erosion resistance. Instead, the erosion resistance depended on alloy composition rather than on hardness and increased with the chromium content of the alloy. The difference in erosion behavior for the two types of erodent particles suggested that two different material removal mechanisms were involved. This was confirmed by SEM micrographs of the eroded surfaces, which showed that for erosion with glass beads the mechanism of material removal was deformation-induced flaking of surface layers, or peening, whereas for erosion with crushed glass it was cutting or chopping

A computer simulation of thin film nucleation and growth: The Volmer-Weber case

The computer simulation of thin film nucleation and growth, which was previously performed for the case of single monolayer, was modified to include multilayer growth via the Volmer-Weber mechanism. The simulation results show that: (1) the kinetics of multilayer film growth is nearly identical to that of monolayer growth; (2) when no reevaporation takes place, the cluster density resulting from multilayer growth is higher at high coverage than that resulting from monolayer growth; (3) when reevaporation does take place, the cluster density resulting from multilayer growth is nearly identical to that resulting from monolayer growth. This is not due, however, to similarity in microstructure