Control of the Structure and Wear Resistance of a Carbon-Nitrogen Austenitic Steel Coating Produced by Electron Beam Cladding.

The study investigates an electron beam cladded coating of nitrogen-alloyed austenitic steel (24.4Cr, 16.4Mn, 0.18Ni, 1.1Si, 0.57С, 0.7N, rest Fe (wt %)). Cladding was performed by a continuous low-energy (27 keV) and low-current (0.02–0.04 A) focused electron beam on an electron beam system at a residual pressure of 0.1 Pa. The microstructure, phase composition, and chemical composition of the coating were examined by OM/AES/XRD/SEM/EDS methods. The coating has no pores and is characterized by high work hardening and wear resistance. The formation of М₇(С, N)₃ carbonitrides in the steel plays a crucial role in the control of the structure and wear resistance of the applied coating, because carbonitrides are able to distinguish between the lattice curvature zones and the stable translationally invariant lattice. Frictional loads arising during wear trigger a γ → α′ transformation. With increasing frictional load, the coefficient of friction decreases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]