Formation of amorphous Zr41.2Ti13.8Ni10Cu12.5Be22.5 coatings via the ElectroSpark Deposition process

The ElectroSpark Deposition (ESD) process was successfully used to transfer amorphous material from an electrode to an amorphous substrate without crystallizing either material. The resulting deposit was confirmed to be amorphous using X-ray diffraction. The deposit shows hardness values of 508 Hv ± 20 in comparison to the 514 Hv ± 14 measured for the substrate with no evidence of a heat affected zone. The growth rate appears to increase linearly as a function of the number of layers deposited. The relationship between the deposition processing parameters and the growth rate was determined and growth rates ranging between 10 μm/pass and 15 μm/pass were obtained for the optimal processing parameters. The amorphous structure and deposit quality (porosity, surface undulation) were preserved throughout the experiments. It is envisioned that this process can be used for the weld repair of worn bulk amorphous materials and coatings.