Wear Performance of Hardened 1.2333 Cold Work Tool Steel by Plasma Electrolysis

Plasma electrolysis is an electrolytic-chemical-thermal technique that can be used for local hardening of the different type of steels. The feasibility of hardening the 1.2333 cold work tool steel by applying a single-stage-local surface treatment, which combines the methods of plasma electrolysis, is discussed. The effects of treatment durations of plasma electrolytic hardening on the surface microstructural, mechanical, and tribological characteristics of 1.2333 cold work steel substrates are studied. The major advantage of the plasma electrolytic hardening is shown to be hardened layer (maximum 900 Hv - minimum 500 Hv) of the substrates consisting of martensitic phase in very short treatment durations, approximately 7 mm thick/0.5 min. Reciprocating-sliding friction and wear tests against an alumina ball counter face have shown that the application of a plasma electrolysis promotes a change in wear mechanism of the friction pair from relatively severe adhesion-abrasion to mild deformation. This results in simultaneous reduction of the volumetric wear rate from 0.18-0.2 $mm^3$ to 0.04 $mm^3$.