Equipment and processes of vacuum electron-ion plasma surface engineering

The paper presents a COMPLEX laboratory setup for surface engineering, describes its components and principle of operation, and provides experimental data on its use for treatment of commercially pure VT1-0 titanium. The setup comprises gas and metal plasma generators based on a low-pressure arc discharge and a pulsed plasma-cathode electron source, allowing complex treatment of materials through nitriding in low-pressure arc plasma and subsequent TiN coating deposition in a single vacuum cycle. The experimental data demonstrate that such complex surface modification decreases the friction coefficient of VT1-0 titanium 1.3 times and increases its wear resistance more than 30 times. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.