Microstructure and wear resistance of thermal sprayed steel coatings ion beam implanted with nitrogen

In the present study, the high-current-density nitrogen ion implantation technique is applied to enhance mechanical properties of thermal sprayed steel coatings. XRD measurements and optical microscopy of ion implanted coatings show clearly the presence of nitrogen solid solutions and precipitates of new phases in the surface layers of coatings. Phases formed are controlled by the temperature of ion beam processing, initial chemical composition and microstructure of coatings. Wear tests demonstrate that properly selected parameters of ion implantation dramatically improve wear and score-resistance of coatings. The influence of the microstructure and phase composition of nitrogen ion implanted layers on tribological properties is discussed.