Effect of Pulsed Plasma Flow Treatment Parameters on the Thickness, Microhardness, and Elemental and Phase Compositions of Modified Surface Layers of Structural Steel.

Pulsed plasma flow treatment of materials has been insufficiently studied, which makes it impossible to estimate the main parameters of the modified layer. Thus, the treatment mode is selected experimentally for each individual material to obtain the optimal hardening layer thickness and microhardness. In this scientific study, structural steels 45, 20Kh and 40KhN2MA were irradiated for different durations and number of pulses, followed by investigation of the elemental and phase composition, microhardness and thickness of the hardening layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]