COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE OF PRODUCTS FROM HIGH-SPEED STEEL IMPACT-CENTRIFUGAL SPINNING

General evaluation has been applied to the products from impact-centrifugal spinning for high-speed steels of R6M5 type by chemical analysis, microprobe, x-ray diffraction, optical and scanning electron microscopy, and microhardness measurement. These products are mixtures of scaly or flaky particles (2 x 0.4 x 0.04 mm), large (2-8 mm) equiaxial fragments, and small (0.5 mm) equiaxial particles, which include spherical ones. The scales have higher contents of carbon and carbide-forming elements than do the initial materials, while the large fragments have lower ones. The elements are unevenly distributed in the scales. There are parts differing in chemical composition. These parts are formed in the scales because of concentrational inhomogeneities in the initial alloy. The thickness of a scale varied monotonically along the length, which leads to differences in cooling rate and consequently to inhomogeneities in phase composition after recrystallization.