Analysis of the State of the Surface Layer of the SAP-2 Composite Alloy after Irradiation with a High-Power Ion Beam

The effect of a high-power ion beam of nanosecond duration on the phase composition and morphology of the surface of aluminum composite material SAP-2 is studied. It is found that after irradiation with a high-power ion beam under all irradiation modes used in the experiments no changes in the phase composition are observed. However, the observed shifts and broadening of the diffraction peaks from irradiated samples indicate the formation of residual stresses and transformation of the initial dislocation structure. The observed decrease in the dislocation density results in a decrease in the microhardness of SAP-2 irradiated at current densities of 50 and 100 A/cm². It is shown that the increase in the ion-current density leads to an increase in the oxygen fraction in the surface layer of SAP-2, which is apparently associated with the partial evaporation of aluminum and an increase in the concentration of inclusions of Al₂O₃, which is part of the material. A nonlinear character of the dependence of the average ratio of the oxygen content to aluminum on the ion-current density of the beam is observed, the maximum value of which is recorded upon irradiation with a beam-current density of 100 A/cm². Intense heating of the SAP-2 surface under ion-beam irradiation leads to changes in the dispersion of Al₂O₃ inclusions on the irradiated surface. The maximum coagulation of Al₂O₃ particles is found in the case of irradiation by a high-power ion beam with a current density of 100 A/cm².