Formation of the structure of wear-resisting coatings in electron beam deposition of tungsten carbide

Abstract

The method of out-of-vacuum electron beam deposition of tungsten carbide powder on low-carbon steel is used to produce the coatings whose structure, hardness and wear resistance are determined by the specific surface energy of radiation. It is shown that the highest properties are exhibited by the structure of the carbide inclusions – the austenitic matrix, similar to the structure of the hard alloy whose working principle is based on a compromise between strength and plasticity. Heat treatment of the deposited layers improves the structure and increases hardness and wear resistance. Additional improvement of the properties is achieved by adding a modification agent.

Keywords:

• electron beam surfacing
• coating
• structure
• properties