PROCESS OF HARDENING OF HARD-ALLOY CUTTING TOOL Russian patent published in 2001 - IPC

FIELD: tool manufacturing industry. SUBSTANCE: invention refers to technology of surface hardening of tool materials by beams of charged particles. Process of hardening of hard-alloy cutting tools of groups TK and BK includes deposition of wear-resistant coat followed by irradiation by ion beam. Structure of alloy is stabilized by thermal treatment prior to deposition of coat and high-power ion beam of C⁺ and H⁺ composition with duration 40 to 70 ns, energy 200-400 keV, current density 50-200 A/sq cm and ion dose 10¹²÷10¹⁴ ion/sq cm is used for irradiation. Wear-resistant coat based on titanium compounds, for example, TiN, TiC, TiAl, with thickness of 0.1-4.0 μm is deposited by method of condensation of substance from plasma phase under conditions of ion bombardment. Tool is subjected to thermal treatment in vacuum chamber at temperature of about 600 C in the course of 1.0 h. EFFECT: increased efficiency of hardening of tool thanks to complex action of thermal, ion-plasma and ion-beam treatment. 2 cl, 1 dwg