Characterization of surface mechanical properties and microstructure of H13 steel implanted by pulsed tungsten

H13 steel samples were implanted with tungsten and the improvement in surface mechanical properties was investigated. The tungsten ion implantation was done using a metal vapor vacuum arc (MEVVA) ion source, with an ion current density of 15 μA cm−2. The implantation of tungsten showed a superior wear resistance surface. The relationship between surface mechanical property and microstructure for the tungsten-implanted samples was characterized by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS), grazing-angle X-ray diffraction (GAXRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The tungsten carbides and tungsten oxides were observed in the doped region. The experimental results have shown that the formation of WC and WO3 improved the wear resistance of H13 steel.