COMPARISON OF WEAR RESISTANCE MECHANISMS OF DIE STEEL IMPLANTED WITH C AND Mo IONS

Mo and C ions extracted from a metal vapor vacuum arc ion source were implanted into the surface of die steel (H13) to compare the wear resistance mechanisms of the implanted samples, respectively. The concentration depth profiles of implanted ions were measured using Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy and calculated by a code called TRIDYN. The structures of the implanted steel were observed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and grazing-angle X-ray diffraction, respectively. It was found that the conventional heat-treated H13 steel could not be further hardened by the subsequent implanted C ions, and the thickness of the implanted layer was not an important factor for the Mo and C ion implantation to improve the wear resistance of the H13 steel. Mo ion implantation could obviously improve the wear resistance of the steel at an extraction voltage of 48 kV and a dose of 5 × 1017cm-2 due to formation of a modification layer of little oxidation with Mo2C in the implanted surface.