INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY OF METALS

DEVEOPMENT OF THE INSTITUTE :: Electron Beam Surface Hardening

        Technology of electron beam quenching provides for hardening of metals and alloys up to 3.6-3.7 times and ensures hardening depth up to 1.5-2.0mm.
        Productivity of the equipment equals 5000 parts per year.
        The electron beam setup (60kV, beam power up to 15kW).

        Application fields
        Surface hardened parts made from Ti alloys can be used in friction couples under high mechanical loads, which is of essential significance for aerospace applications.
        Electron-beam technologies: welding, thermal hardening of the surface layers of steels; amorfization of the surface layers of materials; sintering of powder materials and application of protective coverings; stimulation of plasma chemical reactions and formation of films from their products; evaporation of materials; obtaining composite materials, etc.
        Space-charge limited electron currents of about 460 mA at 1000 V can be reached with sufficient heating of the cathode. At 100 V an electron current of 15 mA can be achieved. The high intensities of the electron current lead to a potential depression of up to 4% of the cathode potential in the interaction region caused by the space charge. This leads to an uncertainty of the electron energy and a deflection of the ion beam, leading to wrong results of the measured cross sections. This space-charge potential can be compensated using thermal residual-gas ions produced by electron impact. Using a UHV-valve, inert gases can be brought into the recipient with pressures of up to several 10-7 mbar