Study of current and voltage diagram in the formed vanadium carbide coatings via plasma electrolytic saturation method

One of the most important hardening methods of tool steel is the use of carbide coatings,that during this process,vanadium atoms at the high temperature diffuses the specimen's surface and reacts with the available carbon in steel and create vanadium carbide with the high hardness. during plasma electrolytic saturation process vanadium element diffuses with the help of plasma and as the result of temperature increases up to around 980 degrees the condition for creation of vanadium carbide is provided. in this process the voltage has been established between cathode (sample) and anode,plasma has been created on the surface of cathode which penetrates vanadium to the surface of the component and the plasma itself causes an increase in the temperature to form the vanadium carbide. in this article the effects of the parameters of conductivity and current on fixed voltage will be studied and results such as formation of coatings in currents between 6 - 9 ma and also increase in the possibility of the formation of coatings in higher conductivities have been obtained. in this study x-ray diffraction test and scanning electron microscope have also been used.