FUNDAMENTALS OF WEAR-RESISTANT COATING PRODUCTION FROM CHROMIUM CARBIDE POWDER MIXTURE WITH BINDER METAL BY EXPLOSIVE COMPACTION

The article presents experimental data on explosive compaction of chromium carbide (Cr3C2) powder mixtures with metals (Ti, Ni, Cu) provided with theoretical explanations. These data were used as a basis for stating science-based principles of composition selection and technology development to produce antifriction wear-resistant chromium carbide hard alloys and coatings by explosion. Explosive compaction of powder mixtures was carried out according to a scheme using a normally incident plane detonation wave in a wide range of loading parameters (powder heating temperature in shock waves varied from 200 to1000 °Cand maximum shock compression pressure varied from 4 to 16 GPa during experiments). Phase transformation analysis was carried out by the numerical thermodynamic modeling of phase equilibrium using the Thermo-Calc software. Microstructure, chemical and phase compositions were studied using optical («Axiovert 40МАТ» by CarlZeiss,Germany), scanning («Versa 3D» and «Quanta 3D FEG» byFEI,USA), transmission («BS 540» byTesla,Czech Republic, «Titan 80-300» and «Tecnai G2 20F» byFEI,USA) electron microscopes and «Solver Pro» atomic force microscope (LLC «NT-MDT», Zelenograd). Temperature stability and oxidation resistance at elevated temperatures of the materials obtained by explosion was studied using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) using the «STA 449 F3 Jupiter» instrument (NETZSCH, Germany) in the synthetic air environment when heated to1500 °C. Tribological tests were carried out on the MI-1M friction machine (MEZIMiV,Moscow) according to the pin-on-ring scheme with plunging in distilled water environment. The mechanisms of consolidation and formation of strong boundaries between powder material particles during explosive compaction are described. It is shown that hard alloys of chromium carbide with titanium bond obtained by explosion retain their phase compositions without any changes and resist to oxidation up to600 °C, and also have significantly better anti-friction properties and wear resistance than the SGP-0,5 and KHN-20 materials used in water-lubricated friction couples until the present time.