Thermal surface treatment using intense, pulsed ion beams
- Sandia National Lab., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
The emerging capability to produce high average power (10-300 kW) pulsed ion beams at 0.2-2 MeV energies is enabling the authors to develop a new, commercial-scale thermal surface treatment technology called Ion Beam Surface Treatment (IBEST). This new technique uses high energy, pulsed ({le}200 ns) ion beams to directly deposit energy in the top 2-20 micrometers of the surface of any material. The depth of treatment is controllable by varying the ion energy and species. Deposition of the energy in a thin surface layer allows melting of the layer with relatively small energies (1-10 J/cm{sup 2}) and allows rapid cooling of the melted layer by thermal diffusion into the underlying substrate. Typical cooling rates of this process (10{sup 9}-10{sup 10} K/sec) are sufficient to cause amorphous layer formation and the production of non-equilibrium microstructures (nano-crystalline and metastable phases). Results from initial experiments confirm surface hardening, amorphous layer and nanocrystaline grain size formation, metal surface polishing, controlled melt of ceramic surfaces, and surface cleaning and oxide layer removal. This new surface treatment capability is made possible by the combination of two new technologies, a new repetitive high energy pulsed power capability (0.8-2 MV, 25 kA, 60 ns, 120 Hz) developed at SNL, and a new repetitive ion beam system developed at Cornell University. The electrical efficiency of the driver and beam system should be approximately 15% from the wall plug to energy deposited in the treated surface. The authors have combined these technologies on the RHEPP-I accelerator at SNL and are presently optimizing integrated system performance.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Albuquerque, NM, and Livermore, CA (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-94AL85000
- OSTI ID:
- 199583
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-941129-; TRN: 95:005652-0072
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 13. international conference on the application of accelerators in research and industry, Denton, TX (United States), 7-10 Nov 1994; Other Information: PBD: 1994; Related Information: Is Part Of Thirteenth international conference on the application of accelerators in research and industry; Duggan, J.L.; Morgan, I.L. [eds.]; PB: 201 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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