Thermal protection of H13 steel by growth of (TiAl)N films by PAPVD pulsed arc technique

(TiAl)N Films were grown on H13 steel by a plasma assisted repetitive pulsed arc discharge. To grow the coatings, a TiAl sintered cathode was used, 50% Ti–50% Al. The deposition system consists of a reaction chamber with two electrodes placed face to face. A pulsed power supply, which allows for control of parameters like time active arc, time between arcs, arc energy, and others, is used to generate the discharge. Thermal changes were carried out on H13 steel before and after growing the (TiAl)N films. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was employed to study the coatings, observing the H13 steel and (TiAl)N oxidation temperature. Morphological characteristics were analyzed by means of an Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the surface chemical composition of the films and morphological details of the samples.