Surface wear resistance properties of Ta+N implanted W18Cr4V high speed steel

High-speed steel W18Cr4V is commonly used in industries such as blade and mould manufacturers because of its high level of hardness and toughness, red-hardness and resistance. Ion implantation is an effective method to improve the wear resistance of W18Cr4V. In our investigation, Ta and Ta+N ion implantation was performed on W18Cr4V high-speed steel. The surface properties after implantation were evaluated by measuring friction coefficients while the carbonyl phase of the surface was analyzed by X-ray diffraction analysis. It was found that the friction coefficients of the treated samples were much lower. Samples implanted with Ta+N had a lower friction coefficients than samples implanted only with Ta. This can be attributed to the formation of a new chemical compound, Fe7Ta3, on both surfaces. An even harder chemical compound, Fe2N, was formed on both surfaces of Ta+N implanted samples.