The special features of thick combined electrospark coatings (СESC) formed on cylindrical 12Kh18N10T stainless steel samples are analyzed. The sample

There is described a method for strengthening surfaces of heat-treated steel parts, which includes technological procedures of carburizing by electroerosive alloying process (CEEA) and also nitriding processes. The nitriding process is simultaneously carried out with the CEEA operation for a period of time sufficient to saturate the surface layer of a part with nitrogen to the depth of a heat-affected zone. Thus, the process of so-cold nitro-carburizing process performed by the EEL method (NCEEA) takes place. To reduce a surface roughness, the NCEEA process is carried out in at least two stages, with a decreasing a discharge energy value at each subsequent stage.

A new method for sulphiding steel and cast iron part surfaces by electroerosion alloying (EEA) with the use of a special electrode is proposed, which method is characterized in that while manufacturing the electrode, on its surface, in any known manner (punching, threading, pulling, etc.), there is formed at least a recess to be filled with sulfur as a consistent material, and then there is produced EEA by the obtained electrode without waiting for the consistent material to become dried.

In this paper, the possibility of applying the electrospark alloying (ESA) method to obtain boron-containing coatings characterised by increased hardness and wear resistance is considered. A new method for producing such coatings is proposed. The method consists in applying grease containing aluminium powder and amorphous boron to the surface to be treated and subsequently processing the obtained surface using the ESA method by a graphite electrode. The microstructural analysis of the Al-C-B coatings on steel C40 showed that the surface layer consists of several zones, the number and parameters of which are determined by the energy conditions of the ESA process. Durametric studies showed that with an increase in the discharge energy influence, the microhardness values of both the upper strengthened layer and the diffusion zone increased to W_p = 0.13 J, Hµ = 6487 MPa, and W_p = 4.9 J, Hµ = 12350 MPa, respectively. The results of X-ray diffraction analysis indicate that at the discharge energies of 0.13 and 0.55 J, the phase composition of the coating is represented by solid solutions of body-centred cubic lattice (BCC) and face-centred cubic lattice (FCC). The coatings obtained at W_p = 4.9 J were characterised by the presence of intermetallics Fe₄Al₁₃ and borocementite Fe₃ (CB) in addition to the solid solutions. The X-ray spectral analysis of the obtained coatings indicated that during the electrospark alloying process, the surface layers were saturated with aluminium, boron, and carbon. With increasing discharge energy, the diffusion zone increases; during the ESA process with the use of the discharge energy of 0.13 J for steel C40, the diffusion zone is 10–15 μm. When replacing a substrate made of steel C40 with the same one material but of steel C22, an increase in the thickness of the surface layer accompanied by a slight decrease in microhardness is observed as a result of processing with the use of the ESA method. There were simulated phase portraits of the Al-C-B coatings. It is shown that near the stationary points in the phase portraits, one can see either a slowing down of the evolution or a spiral twisting of the diffusion-process particle.