Surface modification of AlFe1.8Zn0.8 alloy by using dense plasma focus

We report here the surface modification of Al alloy (AlFe1.8Zn0.8), by energetic ion streams emitted from 2.3 kJ Mather type dense plasma focus device. The samples placed at different axial and angular positions above the anode tip are irradiated for 30 shots under the optimum focusing conditions. The treated samples are analyzed by X-ray diffractometer (XRD) to investigate the changes induced in their crystalline structure. The surface morphology along with the elemental composition is investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). A Vickers micro-hardness tester is used to measure the surface hardness, and the results demonstrate a significant increase in the hardness depending on their axial and angular positions. The micro-hardness is increased 4-5 times for typical samples. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.