Eur. Phys. J. Special Topics 229, 217-224 (2020)
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjst/e2019-900076-1

Regular Article

Model experiment on reactive phase formation and solidification of B₄C-BN composites via nanosecond pulse laser processing

¹ Udmurt State University, Universitetskaya St., 1, Izhevsk, Russia
² Izhevsk State Agricultural Academy, Studencheskaya St., 11, Izhevsk, Russia
³ M.N. Miheev Institute of Metal Physics of Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, S. Kovalevskaya St., 18, Yekaterinburg, Russia
⁴ Institute of Engineering Science of Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Komsomolskaya St., 34, Yekaterinburg, Russia
⁵ Ural Federal University, Mira St., 19, Yekaterinburg, Russia

^a e-mail: eh@udsu.ru

Received: 29 April 2019
Received in final form: 29 May 2019
Published online: 11 February 2020

Abstract

In the present work we describe results of a model experiment on reactive phase formation of B₄C-BN composites on a steel substrate using high-energy short laser pulses. The model experiment opens a way for high quality laser joining of boron based ceramics with steels through the reactive phase formation at the steel-ceramic interface. The study was focused on changes in microstructure, chemical and phase compositions in surface layers of the resulting B₄C-BN-Fe composites. Ultrafine powders of boron carbide and boron nitride were spread on a steel surface and subjected to laser processing with nanosecond pulses. The reactions occur as a result of elevated temperature under action of laser short pulses. Subsequent rapid solidification leads to highly nonequilibrium solidification and metastable phase formation.