Surface structure and properties of high-chromium steel irradiated with a submillisecond pulsed electron beam

In this paper we analyze the surface structure and properties of high-chromium steel (steel 420) irradiated with a submillisecond (0.45 ms) intense pulsed electron beam on the COMPLEX vacuum setup at an Ar pressure of 3⋅10−2 Pa. The analysis suggests that electron beam treatment with surface melting dissolves the initial carbide phase in the steel, saturates its surface layer with Cr and C atoms, and form dendrites and martensite structure. The microhardness and the wear resistance of the irradiated steel are respectively 1.5 and 50 times higher compared to the initial material, and their maximum values are attained at a beam energy density of 53 J/cm2.