Deposition of Amorphous Hardening Coatings by Electrospark Treatment in a Mixture of Crystalline Granules

Abstract

This article is devoted to the formation of amorphous coatings on the steel 35 surface by electrospark treatment in a mixture of crystalline granules. It is revealed by the energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) that formed coatings contain W, Mo, Co, and Ni in various ratios. The weight of granules of various compositions decreases by 11–16 wt % for 6-h treatment due to electric erosion. The mass transfer coefficient varies in a range from 33 to 54%. X-ray structural analysis showed the prevalence of an amorphous phase (81–99%) in the structure of deposited layers. Annealing of coatings at a temperature above 1150°C leads to the crystallization of the amorphous phase into boron carbide of the M23(C, B)6 type, as well as into α-Fe. The coatings have an increased hardness of 10–15 GPa, while their wear resistance in the dry sliding wear mode under loads of 10 and 50 N is higher than for steel 35 by a factor of 3.3 and 1.6. The coating friction coefficient is lower than for steel 35 by 13–30% and was 0.27–0.31. The wear resistance of coatings in a dry abrasive wear mode is higher by a factor of 3–5 when compared with uncoated steel 35. The best characteristics are inherent without nickel and worst are inherent without cobalt. Thus, it is established that tungsten and cobalt increase the wear resistance of iron-based amorphous alloys, while nickel and molybdenum tend to worsen their tribotechnical behavior.