Modification of metallic materials by processing with high-temperature pulsed plasma streams

A review is given of investigations of the modification of metallic materials by processing them with high-temperature pulsed plasma streams having incident power densities in the range (3–100)×10⁹ W/m² with pulse durations of between 2–3 and 100 µsec. The main experimental results are presented on changes in the microstructure, the mechanical and tribological characteristics, the corrosion resistance, and the radiation-induced erosion when the modified materials are irradiated with ions. An analysis of these results shows that processing with high-temperature pulsed plasma streams is a comprehensive method for changing in a controlled manner the structural-phase state and various operational properties of materials, the extent of the change being determined by the irradiation conditions (the power density of the incident stream, the type of plasma, etc.), the type of material, and its previous processing.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 5, pp. 109–126, May, 1993.