Properties of modified surface layers of industrial steel samples processed by pulsed plasma streams

The results of modification of industrial steels processed by pulsed plasma streams with an energy density of incident plasma in the range of 10-30 J/ cm(2), ion energy up to 2 keV, plasma density (1-3) x 10(14) cm(-3) and pul se length 2-5 mu s are presented in this paper. The structure and propertie s of modified surface layers have been investigated. Formation of austenite , carbides and nitrides in modified fine-grained surface layer with a depth of up to 30 mu m, sufficient increasing of wear resistance by 7-20 times a nd microhardness increasing by 2-5 times depending on the kind of material, were observed as a result of plasma processing. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.