Surface modification of Cu-W powder metallurgical alloy induced by high-current pulsed electron beam

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the microstructure and properties of Cu-W alloys induced by high-current pulsed electron beam (HCPEB) irradiation. The microstructural observation shows that craters were formed after 5 pulses of HCPEB irradiation. With the increasing numbers of pulses, these craters were further fused and eliminated, which results in an excellent surface finishing. In addition, the composition of melted layer was homogenized because of the inter-diffusion between Cu and W atoms. During the process of HCPEB irradiation, several modifications were formed, including Cu (W) solid solution, ultrafine grains, amorphous phase, and long-period superlattice phase, which significantly increased the microhardness of the surface. The results of sliding wear tests indicate that the HCPEB irradiated samples exhibited better properties as compared to that of the initial one, which was attributed to the ultrafine W particles embedded in the Cu matrix.