Soft variable polarity plasma arc horizontal welding technology and weld asymmetry

Abstract

Soft variable polarity plasma arc welding technology has been proposed to solve the problems in horizontal position welding for aluminium alloys. Arc thermal field shape, arc pressure distribution and the characteristic of the weld pool, which are important for keyhole stability, have been changed compared with the ordinary variable polarity plasma arc. Its stability in application can be evaluated by the operational window. The thermal cycle curves, microstructures and microhardness of the horizontal position weld indicate the weld asymmetry. The influence of asymmetry as well as welding defects on tensile strength and fracture behaviour has been studied. The fundamental reason for the asymmetry was considered as the asymmetric fluid flow around the keyhole in the weld pool.     

Erosive abrasive wear behaviour of stainless steel surface produced by plasma transferred arc hardfacing

Abstract

Erosive abrasive wear is caused by high speed impact of particles entrained in a fluid system on the surfaces of components such as boilers and furnaces. Erosive abrasive wear in boilers results from the impact of hard particles such as ash or clinker entrained in flue gases and can lead to serious damage. The life of boiler and furnace components encountering erosive abrasive wear in service, which are most commonly fabricated from carbon steels, can be improved by hardfacing with a wear resistant material. The effects of wear parameters such as particle size, flux and velocity on the erosive abrasive wear behaviour of a stainless steel surface produced by the plasma transferred arc hardfacing have been investigated using an experimental design approach. The wear resistance of the stainless steel surface was found to be twice that of the carbon steel substrate.     

Relation of the polymeric ion species in plasma to the hardness of a-C:H film made by PSII&D

The amorphous carbon (a-C:H) films formed by plasma source ion implantation and deposition (PSII&D) have expanded the tribological properties. Especially, the hardness can be widely changed by adequately selecting RF power, pulse bias voltage, gas species and gas pressure. Previously, we reported that a-C:H film hardness depended on the electron temperature in C₂H₂ plasma which was ignited with pulsed RF power, and that the hardness was in inverse proportion to the electron temperature in the range of less than 2.5 eV. We have discovered that the film hardness is, in some cases, changing even if the electron temperature is constant. This suggests that there are some new factors to determine the film hardness besides the electron temperature in the plasma. In this study, we employ a quadrupole mass spectrometer to measure the intensity of each polymeric ion in C₂H₂. The film hardness is determined by the synergy of the polymeric ion abundances and ion irradiation.     

Plasma nitriding and nitrocarburising of a supermartensitic stainless steel

Abstract

Supermartensitic stainless steels (SMSSs) are a new generation of the classic 13%Cr martensitic steels, lower in carbon and with additional alloying of nickel and molybdenum offering better weldabilty and low temperature toughness. Several works have shown that plasma nitriding and nitrocarburising of stainless steels at low temperatures produces a hard surface layer which results in increased wear resistance. In this work, SMSS samples were plasma nitrided and nitrocarburised at 400, 450 and 500°C. The plasma treated SMSS samples were characterised by means of optical microscopy, microhardness, X-ray diffraction and dry wear tests. The thickness of the layers produced increases as temperature is raised, for both plasma nitriding and nitrocarburising. X-ray diffraction demonstrates that the chromium nitride content grows with temperature for nitriding and nitrocarburising, which also showed increasing content of iron and chromium carbides with temperature. After plasma treating, it was found that the wear volume decreases for all temperatures and the wear resistance increased as the treatment temperature was raised. The main wear mechanism observed for both treated and untreated samples was grooving abrasion.     

Surface modification by carbon ion implantation for the application of ni-based amorphous alloys as bipolar plate in proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Ni-based amorphous alloys with surface modification by carbon ion implantation are proposed as an alternative bipolar plate material for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Both Ni₆₀Nb₂₀Ti₁₀Zr₁₀ alloys with and without carbon ion implantation have corrosion resistance as good as graphite as well as much lower contact resistance than 316L stainless steel in the PEMFC environment. The formation of conductive surface carbide due to carbon ion implantation results in a decrease in the contact resistance to a level comparable to that of graphite. This combination of excellent properties indicates that carbon ion implanted Ni-based amorphous alloys can be potential candidate materials for bipolar plates in PEMFCs.     

Behaviour of Couples of Aluminium and Plastics Reinforced with Carbon Fibre in Aqueous Salt Solutions

Abstract

Reaction potential measurements have been made on a range of carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) materials in aqueous chloride solutions. In 5% aqueous NaCl the CFRP slowly reached an equilibrium potential, normally about 300 mV positive to SCE. No correlation of potential with the type of carbon fibre or the resin matrix of the CFRP was found. The potential of aluminium and aluminium alloys is about 600–700 mV negative to SCE.

Polarisation studies showed that for CFRP – aluminium alloy couples the polarisation occurs almost exclusively at the CFRP. Very high corrosion currents are passed in aqueous chloride solutions. The effects of chloride ion concentration, pH, temperature, oxygen concentration, and nature of cations and anions in solution have been briefly studied.     

Shunting arc-produced hybrid plasma and its magnetic drive for PBII&D

Hybrid plasmas produced by shunting arc discharge are described in this article. The shunting arc was generated in various ambient atmospheres. When a carbon-shunting arc was generated in a nitrogen atmosphere, the carbon ion species were produced at the arc stage, the electrons of which accelerated toward the wall, colliding with the gas species in the chamber to produce nitrogen ions. When the arc was generated in a methane atmosphere, the hydrogen content in the deposited carbon film changed with the gas pressure. When the arc was generated in gaseous RF plasma, an enhancement in the plasma density was confirmed with ion current measurement. Another method of the shunting arc application is the usage of the Lorentz force, which accelerates the entire plasma body toward the target. This results in a fast deposition of the plasma species such as carbon.     

Microstructural and corrosion resistance characterisation of NiTi shape memory alloy modified at low-temperature plasma with carbon coatings produced via RFCVD and IBAD methods

ABSTRACT

NiTi shape memory alloy, both before and after low-temperature oxynitriding under glow discharge conditions combined with the production of a nano-sized outer carbon coating, was investigated. The study compares two types of carbon coatings: produced via the RFCVD (radio frequency chemical vapour deposition) and IBAD (ion beam-assisted deposition) methods. The latter was also enriched by randomly distributed silver nanoparticles. The study showed slight changes in roughness parameters and increased corrosion resistance after surface treatment processes. The largest impedance module and corrosion potential and the smallest density of corrosion current were achieved for samples with a carbon coating produced via the RFCVD process. The presented surface modifications using hybrid processes can extend the use of NiTi alloy in medicine due to the increased biocompatibility.     

Hydrogen embrittlement and fracture toughness of a titanium alloy with surface modification by hard coatings

The effect of hydrogen embrittlement on the fracture toughness of a titanium alloy with different surface modifications was investigated. Disk- shaped compact- tension specimens were first coated with different .hard films and then hydrogen charged by an electrochemical method. Glow discharge optical spectrometry (GDOS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and x- ray diffractometry (XRD) were applied to analyze the surface characteristics. The results revealed that fracture toughness of the as- received titanium alloy decreased with the increase of hydrogen charging time. Fracture toughness of the alloy after plasma nitriding or ion implantation, which produced a TiN _x layer, decreased as well, but to a lesser extent after cathodic charging. The best result obtained was for the alloy coated with a CrN film where fracture toughness was sustained even after hydrogen charging for 144 h. Obviously, the CrN film acted as a better barrier to retard hydrogen permeation, but it was at the sacrifice of the CrN film itself.     

Problems and solutions for determination of carbon transfer coefficient β using steel foil carburising method

Abstract

In this paper, the carburising process of steel foil was simulated by numerical method and the carbon transfer coefficient β at the workpiece surface was calculated with the conventional formula for the steel foil carburising test. The results indicated that foil thickness, carburising time and carbon diffusion coefficient in foil apparently affect the calculated carbon transfer coefficient, which always has a smaller value than the preset β value (the true value) and decreases with decreasing carbon diffusion coefficient. This paper suggests that the conventional formula is applicable only when carbon diffusion coefficient in foil is close to infinity; otherwise, the calculated β has obvious error and consequently, gives false information about the influences of other test factors. We propose a new calculation method based on the analytical solution of the diffusion equation during steel foil carburising and a supplementary test, with which the calculated β coefficient is close to the true value, and the carbon diffusion coefficient can be obtained simultaneously.     

On the Plasma （ion） Carburized Layer of High Nitrogen Austenitic Stainless Steel

The manganese concentration of austenltic stainless steel decreases from the inner layer towards the surface of the plasma (ion) carburized layer due to the evaporation of manganese from the specimen surface. The carbon concentration in the carburized layer is influenced by alloyed elements such as Cr, Ni, Si, and Mo, as well as Nitrogen. This study examined the effects of nitrogen on the properties of the carburized layer of high nitrogen stainless steel. Plasma (ion) carburizing was carried out for 14.4 ks at 1303 K in an atmosphere of CH4 H2 gas mixtures under a pressure of 350 Pa. The plasma carburized layer of the high nitrogen stainless steel was thinner than that of an austentric stainless steel containing no nitrogen. This suggested that the nitrogen raised the activity of carbon in the plasma carburized layer, GDOES measurement indicated that the nitrogen level in the layer did not vary after plasma (ion) carburizing.     

Ion energy and mass distributions of the plasma during modulated pulse power magnetron sputtering

Modulated pulse power (MPP) sputtering is a variation of high power pulsed magnetron sputtering (HPPMS) that overcomes the rate loss issue and achieves enhanced plasma ionization through modulation of the pulse shape, intensity, and duration. In this study, the principle and characteristics of MPP/HPPMS technique are first introduced. An electrostatic quadrupole plasma mass spectrometer installed parallel to the target surface has been used to examine the plasma properties, including time averaged ion energy and mass distributions of the positive ions, generated during sputtering a metal Cr target in pure Ar and Ar/N₂ atmospheres using MPP and continuous dc power sources in a closed field unbalanced magnetron sputtering system. It was found that the MPP plasma exhibits a low ion energy peak at 1-2 eV and a short ion energy tail with the maximum ion energy affected by the peak current and power utilized on the cathode. A significantly increased numbers of single and double charged Cr and Ar ions were identified in the MPP plasma as compared to the dc plasma in pure Ar. The number of ions (ion flux) increased when the peak target power and current were increased. Besides single and double charged Cr, Ar and N ions, N₃⁺, N₄⁺, CrN⁺ and CrN₂⁺ ion species were also identified in the MPP discharge with the introduction of N₂ into the system. The ion energy distributions of ion species for the MPP plasma in Ar/N₂ atmosphere exhibit similar peak values and tail distributions to those of the MPP plasma in pure Ar atmosphere. However, the energy tail extended toward higher energies due to the increased peak current and power on the cathode as the N₂ flow rate percentage was increased in the system.     

Fluorine and carbon ion implantation and deposition on metals by plasma source ion implantation

Deposition of fluorine containing diamond-like carbon films is an effective solution for the improvement of machine parts in an aggressive aqueous environment when the combination of a hydrophobic surface with good corrosion protection and low friction coefficients is required. Stainless steel and silicon were treated by plasma source ion implantation using the gases CF₄, C₆F₆ and C₆H₅F, in the latter case with previous methane implantation. Depending on the plasma gas there are differences in the fluorine content, depth distribution, film thickness, water contact angle and friction coefficient.     

Tom Bell Young Author Award Winner 2008 Influence of silicon on nitriding behaviour of hot work tool steels

Abstract

Hot work tool steels are widely used for pressure die casting moulds, die inserts, extrusion tools for aluminium processing and for steel forging. Nitriding increases the lifetime of such tools in many cases, yet delivers disappointing results in others. To optimise performance and for knowledge based surface design, it is indispensable to understand the mechanisms which occur in the near surface zone during nitriding. Nitrogen and carbon profiles obtained for X38CrMoV51 (AISI H13) steels with two silicon levels (1·1 and 0·3%), together with high resolution microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy, revealed that the secondary carbides are gradually transformed into nitrides during nitriding. Thermodynamic calculations confirmed the experimental observations. The near surface zone can be divided into three subzones: (1) a nitrogen enriched, almost carbon free zone with high nitride precipitation density and high hardness; (2) a nitrogen enriched and carbon depleted zone where the carbide–nitride transformation occurs; (3) a carbon enriched zone where the displaced carbon from zones 1 and 2 reprecipitates. A correlation between microstructure and microhardness and residual stress profiles was observed for all three zones. It was found that silicon, although not directly participating in the formation of nitrides, has a strong impact on the properties of the near surface zone by stabilising the secondary carbides and retarding the carbide–nitride transformation. This results in homogeneous precipitation in the transformation zone, thus avoiding micrometre sized precipitates which can act as defects and promote crack propagation. The conclusions of the present work are in accordance with literature studies on the effect of silicon on the tempering behaviour and the secondary carbide structure of 5%Cr martensitic steels.     

Progress in theory and practice of thermochemical treatment of steels

Abstract

Recent developments in the thermochemical treatment of steels at MADI, Moscow are presented. These technologies combine nitriding with other methods of surface modification, e.g. thermal diffusion and laser alloying, plasma treatment, galvanic and slurry metallisation, and oxidation. By regulating the parameters of each process, it is possible to control the structure of the surface at the micro- and nanoscales, to form coatings and/or surface layers on various carbon and alloyed steels with tailored properties (hardness, wear and corrosion resistance, etc.) for machine parts used in various working conditions.     

Duplex diamond-like carbon film fabricated on 2Cr13 martensite stainless steel using inner surface ion implantation and deposition

A duplex plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition (PIIID) process, involving carbon ion implantation and diamond-like carbon (DLC) film deposition, is proposed to treat the inner surface of a tube. Samples of 2Cr13 martensite stainless steel were placed inside the tube to investigate the performance of the films. Carbon ion implantation was finished by biasing the tube with a high voltage, and the DLC film deposition was obtained by biasing the tube with a medium voltage. Raman spectrum, ball-on-disc, indentation and scratch tests were used to investigate the structure, tribological property and adhesion strength of the as-deposited films. The Raman spectrum shows that the sp³ bonding is formed in the as-synthesized film. Tribological and scratch test results reveal that the duplex DLC coating with the implantation time of 1 h has the largest adhesion strength and the best wear resistance.     

Investigation of pitting potential of carbon steel using experimental design method

Abstract

The dependence of the pitting potential E_p of 1018 carbon steel on chloride concentration, pH and the temperature of the solution was studied by the potentiodynamic method in accordance with a statistical experimental design. The parameters of the empirical pitting potential model determined on the basis of Box-W ilson ex perimental design method were evaluated using the experimental data. Comparison of the predicted values from the model with the observed values showed that the model is a good fit. From the model equation the most noble pitting potential value of -225 mV (SCE) was obtained when the Cl^- ion concentration, temperature and pH of the solution were 205 ppm, 25°C, and 6·4, respectively. The Box-Wilson experimental design technique was proved to be applicable in modelling the pitting potential of carbon steel.     

Modelling and prediction of cut shape for plasma arc cutting based on artificial neural network

Abstract

An artificial neural network approach for the modelling of plasma arc cutting processes is introduced. Neural network models have been proposed for predicting the cut shape and estimating the special cutting variables. The implementation of artificial neural networks in the modelling of cutting processes is discussed in detail. The performance of the neural networks in modelling is presented and evaluated using actual cutting data. Moreover, prediction applications of the above neural network models are described for various cutting conditions. It is shown that estimated results based on the proposed models agree well with experimental data; the neural network models yield good prediction results over the entire range of cutting process parameters spanned by the training data. The testing and prediction results show the effectiveness and satisfactory prediction accuracy of the artificial neural network modelling. The developed models are applicable to carbon steel.     

Plasma biasing to control the growth conditions of diamond-like carbon

It is well known that the structure and properties of diamond-like carbon, and in particular the sp³/sp² ratio, can be controlled by the energy of the condensing carbon ions or atoms. In many practical cases, the energy of ions arriving at the surface of the growing film is determined by the bias applied to the substrate. The bias causes a sheath to form between substrate and plasma in which the potential difference between plasma potential and surface potential drops. In this contribution, we demonstrate that the same results can be obtained with grounded substrates by shifting the plasma potential. This “plasma biasing” (as opposed to “substrate biasing”) is shown to work well with pulsed cathodic carbon arcs, resulting in tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) films that are comparable to the films obtained with the conventional substrate bias. To verify the plasma bias approach, ta-C films were deposited by both conventional and plasma bias and characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron energy loss spectrometry (EELS). Detailed data for comparison of these films are provided.