CARBON AND METAL-CARBON IMPLANTATIONS INTO TOOL STEELS FOR IMPROVED TRIBOLOGICAL PERFORMANCE

The high-fluence implantation of carbon and dual implantations of meta l-metalloid pairs into steels with different microstructures are brief ly reviewed, A previously unexamined system, the implantation of Si an d C into two kinds of tool steels, M3 and D2, have been studied in ter ms of microstructure and tribological performance, In both cases ion i mplantation transfers a surface into an amorphous layer, However, the tribological behavior of these two materials differs remarkably: in th e case of ion-implanted M3 a reduction of wear in a steel pin is obser ved even at high pin loads, whereas in the case of ion-implanted D2 th e beneficial effects of ion implantation were limited to the lowest pi n load, The importance of an initial phase at the onset of sliding is emphasized and a number of peculiarities observed in ion-implanted M3 steel are discussed.