Modification of the surface of a tungsten carbide composite material by electron-ion-plasma methods

The surface of a porous tungsten carbide pseudoalloy of the WC-WCoNiFe system has been modified by a pulsed electron beam and the method of combined electron-ion-plasma, which includes vacuum arc deposition of a film from VT1-0 titanium alloy (1 μm) and subsequent pulsed electron-beam processing of the"coating/substrate" system. Optimal modes of pulsed electron-beam processing were found depending on the energy density in the pulse (40-65 J/cm²) and the pulse duration (150-200 µs). It is shown that electron-beam surface treatment of a material of this class under optimal conditions of electron-beam processing makes it possible to increase the microhardness of the surface layer by 15% relative to the initial material. Using the methods of X-ray phase analysis, it was revealed that the increase in microhardness is due to the formation of the W₂C phase in the surface layer and a decrease in the amount of the binder (WCoNiFe). It is concluded that the combined electron-ion-plasma treatment of a porous tungsten carbide pseudoalloy of the WC-WCoNiFe system makes it possible to form a modified layer with a minimum number of pores and cracks on the surface.

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