Study of electron-beam scanning on the surface of aluminum alloy with nano-sized Al2O3-Al powder

The surface hardness and wear resistance of aluminum alloy are both improved by means of scanning electron beam. In this paper, the strengthen treatment of the ADC12 aluminum surface, which is added nano-sized Al₂O₃-Al powder, was carried out by scanning electron beam. The microstructures and phase structures of ceramic layers were analyzed by using optical microscope, scanning electron microscope(SEM) and energy disperse spectroscopy(EDS), respectively. The surface hardness and friction wear of ceramic layers were measured. The research results show that the 2mm ceramic layer, the complex compounds and the new phases were generated. At the same time, the re-melting microstructures were also formed on the interface between ceramic layer and the base material. The surface hardness is as 1.56 times as the substrate. The wear resistance was obviously improved through electron beam modification.