Physical and Mechanical Properties of Electrospark Coatings Applied by Electrospark Treatment with a Composite Electrode

Abstract

Electric spark machining allows coated parts to be coated with any electrically conductive materials, ensuring good adhesion to the base material, thereby restoring worn surfaces. However, limitations on the thickness of the applied coating significantly affect its distribution when restoring parts with wear of more than 0.2 mm. One way to solve this problem when restoring parts with increased wear is electric spark processing using composite electrodes with carbon nanotubes. Thanks to the use of a composite electrode with carbon nanotubes, it was possible to increase the thickness of the coating by 2–4 times, which will expand the range of the restored parts. At the same time, the microhardness of the coatings decreased when carbon nanotubes were added to the electrode, but under certain conditions it was possible to achieve a microhardness value comparable to coatings from BrO10S10 electrodes.