Oxidation protection of AISI H13 steel by high current pulsed electron beam treatment

A duplex surface treatment scheme, combining arc deposition with high-current pulsed electron beam (HCPEB) post treatment, has been applied to rapid surface alloying of AISI H13 steel in order to improve high-temperature oxidation resistance. An Al coating as thick as 10 μm was deposited on AISI H13 by arc deposition. The coating was then post-treated with HCPEB. Due to rapid surface heating and melting, part of the Al precoating was dissolved into the substrate surface, forming a saturated surface alloy layer. High temperature oxidation resistance is improved by approximately 40 times as compared to the untreated sample.