PULSE ELECTRODE DEPOSITION OF SUPERHARD BORIDE COATINGS ON FERROUS ALLOY

Pulse electrode surfacing (PES) is an effective process for depositing ultrahard, corrosion- and erosion-resistant ceramic coatings on metal s. In the present work, a titanium diboride coating deposited on 1018 steel using PES technique has been investigated. An attempt has been m ade to correlate the thermodynamic predictions and experimental observ ations. The role of the ceramic-metal interface in the development of these coatings has been studied. A thick, adherent, metallurgically bo nded and crack-free coating is obtained. It has been found that Fe int ermixes with TiB2 layer and acts as an excellent binder for TiB2. It p romotes the composite effect of both hardness and toughness in these c oatings and, hence, provides a crack-free coating with the sound inter face. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A.