WHY SURFACE ENGINEERING?

Requirements of surface & bulk

properties are different
Bulk: Toughness/shock
resistance (energy absorption),
manufacturing properties -
formability, weldability,
machinability
Surface: Wear resistant (high
hardness) - high alloy contents;
OR Corrosion/oxidation You only need so little,
resistant - different alloying why pay so much?
elements OR

Bulk materials cannot satisfy both

 SIGNIFICANCE OF SURFACE ENGiNEERING
Possibility of producing tools, machine
components and appliances from cheaper
materials with lower properties and giving their
surfaces improved service characteristics
Improvement of reliability of performance of
tools, machine components and appliances and
reduction of failures
Poor design and improper service conditions are
the cause of 15% of down time, while improper
selection and poor manufacture of surface
layers are responsible for as much as 85% of
failures
 SURFACE PROPERTY AS PROTECTION
Corrosion resistant coatings and surface
treatments
Erosion & Wear resistant layers
Insulating coatings to prevent damage at high
operating temperatures
Surface hardening for fatigue and wear
resistance

 Currrent approach!!!
Wide choice of coating process coating
material combinations
Overwhelming range of quality and cost
Highly versatile
Large and growing! application spectrum
Crucial to appreciate advantages and
limitations of various SE techniques
REMEMBER: No single process is
UNIVERSALLY applicablelet us see why
this is so
TYPICAL THICKNESS RANGE OF COATINGS
OVERLAY & DIFFUSION/INWARD TREATMENTS
PART TEMPERATURE DURING SURFACE TREATMENT
SURFACE FINISH CHARACTERISTICS OF SE PROCESSES
CHARACTERISTICS OF PROMINENT SURFACING TECHNIQUES
Electro Vapour Diffusion Surface Thermal Hardfacing Ion
Characteristic Deposition Deposition Coatings Hardening Spray &Cladding Implantation

Thickness (m) 20-500 0.01-5 10-150 500-2500 50-1000 250-5000 0.1-0.2

Depends on Depends on
Component Versatile Versatile Versatile flexibility of flexibility of Versatile Versatile
geometry torch torch/gun

Limited by Limited by
Component Size Limited by chamber furnace No Limit No Limit No Limit Limited by
bath size size size chamber size

Substrate < 100 < 1000 < 1200 < 1000 200 < 1000 560
temperature (oC)

Coating porosity None/small None/small None/small None 1-15% Small None

Bond strength 100 High High* High* 20 - 140 High High*

(MPa)
Thickness
control Good Good Good Good Fairly good Good Good

Only steels
Types of coatings Limited Limited Very can be Numerous Numerous Very limited
Limited coated (ions)

Techniques are complementary, NOT competing !!!