Formation of the structure of coatings from high-speed steel during plasma surfacing,
subsequent tempering and electron beam processing
E. A. Budovskikh, L. P. Baschenko, V. E. Gromov, G. I. Cherepanova,
V. V. Pochetuha, N. N. Malushin
Siberian State Industrial University, 42 Kirova st., 654007 Novokuznetsk, Russia
E-mail: budovskikh@mail.ru
The structure of multilayer coatings of high-speed steel (0,87 wt. % С; 4,41 wt. % Cr; 17,00 wt. % W; 0,10 wt. % Mo; 1,50 wt. % V; 0,35 wt. % Ti; 1,15 wt. % Al; 0,06 wt. % N) formed on a substrate of 0,3 wt. % С; 0,9 wt. % Cr; 0,8 wt. % Мn; 0,9 wt. % Si steel during plasma surfacing with powder wire in a mixture of argon and nitrogen has been studied by methods of light and scanning electron microscopy on transverse sections. The coatings have a disoriented dendritic structure with a characteristic axis size of the first order of 100 microns, which varies little with depth. At large magnifications, a carbide mesh of eutectic carbides of the Me6C type is revealed in detail along the grain boundaries of a solid solution with dimensions in the range of 5 – 100 microns. Small grains with characteristic sizes up to 10 microns have a uniform structure. In larger grains, an inner region is formed, which has a ferrite-martensitic structure with inclusions of equiaxially isolated carbides. The characteristic size of martensitic needles in it is 1 – 3 microns. After four-fold high-temperature tempering at 580 °C as a result of the formation of martensite and the separation of dispersed carbides, the average microhardness increases from 472 to 528 HV0.1, the difference in values becomes minimal. At the same time, the growth of martensitic needles is observed in the range from 2 to 6 microns. After electron beam processing, the carbide mesh is preserved, transcrystalline cracks are observed in small grains, martensite disintegrates in larger grains, isolated carbides increase in size. The average microhardness increases to 628 HV0.1.
Keywords: high-speed steel, plasma surfacing, alloying, nitrogen, high-temperature tempering, cracking, electron-beam processing, microstructure, carbide phase, peritectic, austenite-martensite mixture, microhardness.
DOI: 10.30791/0015-3214-2024-3-13-20