Electron Beam Surface Hardening

The surface hardening of steel components makes it possible to achieve high abrasive wear resistance without the necessity of hardening the entire cross-section of a given element. As a result, lower stress are introduced and the cost of the process can be reduced. Because of very high heating rates (of up to 10⁹ K/s) as well as the ease of dynamic deflection and focusing, the use of the electron beam to harden component surfaces enables the obtainment of surface layers characterised by required properties. This article constitutes an overview of publications concerning electron beam-based surface hardening.