STRUCTURE AND PHASE COMPOSITION OF THE TiB2-Ag COATING SPRAYED BY ELECTRICAL EXPLOSION METHOD AND MODIFIED BY ELECTRON BEAM TREATMENT

10.25712/ASTU.1811-1416.2024.04.006

Abstract

In the present study, the influence of the electron beam treatment on the structure and phase composition of the metal matrix composite TiB₂–Ag coating sprayed by electrical explosion was demonstrated. Coating’s phase composition and structure were investigated by XDR, SEM, and TEM methods. The phase composition of the coating sprayed by electrical explosion varies from sample to sample. The impact of electron beam treatment led to uniformity of the coatings’ phase composition. The main phases in the modified coating were Ag, TiB₂, B₂O. Increasing the pulse energy density and duration leads to the reduction of the low-melting Ag phase and the formation of copper contact phases due to heating and melting of the copper substrate by excess electron beam energy. The coating structure consists of a silver matrix and TiB₂ inclusions. The electron beam treatment had little effect on the structure; however, the microstructure of the coating transformed into a cellular crystallization structure. The silver matrix nanostructure was trans-formed into a nanocrystalline structure with an average crystal size ranging from tens to hundreds of nanometers.