THE ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTS FORMATION IRON - TUNGSTEN CARBIDE LAYER ON ALUMINUM ALLOY BY ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE ALLOYING PROCESS

Aluminum alloy is very useful in fabricating lightweight structures. However, the tribological applications of this alloy are limited. This paper present a brief study of electro spark deposition using special prepare electrode. Kerosene was used as a dielectric fluid. Surface where modification using a Fe-WC electrode on electrical discharge machine. The layers were investigated with metallographic methods and EDS analyses. Using EDS analysis, there were identified a types of alloying elements and the extent of diffusion from the electrode into to aluminum alloy. Also, there was investigated of nanohardness. Microscopic examination was carried out to examine the structure of formed layers. Image analysis methods were used to observe the cross-section of the layer. The results of investigations showed that there is a possibility of obtaining the satisfying quality joint between the aluminum alloy and Fe-WC electrode layer.