Abstract: A wear-resistant coating of a cutting tool has at least a single layer of an interstitial phase which comprises alloying components and a non-metallic one the content which falls within the boundaries of a region wherein a compound of this interstitial phase having the greatest thermodynamic stability is homogeneous. One of the alloying components functions as a catalyst which facilitates the compound with the high thermodynamic stability to form. A method of applying the wear-resistant coating to a cutting tool provides for condensing matter by virtue of ion bombardment and consists in introducing the catalyst into a vacuum by evaporating the material of a cathode and depositing a layer of coating on the base material of the cutting tool at a temperature thereof which permits a catalytic reaction to take place owing whereto the content of the non-metallic component falls within the boundaries of a region wherein the compound with the high thermodynamic stability is homogenous.

Abstract: A wear-resistant coating of a cutting tool has at least a single layer of an interstitial phase which comprises alloying components and a non-metallic component the content of which falls within the boundaries of a region wherein a compound of this interstitial phase having the greatest thermodynamic stability is homogeneous. One of the alloying components functions as a catalyst which facilitates the compound with the high thermodynamic stability to form. A method of applying the wear-resistant coating to a cutting tool provides for condensing matter by virtue of ion bombardment and consists in introducing the catalyst into a vacuum by evaporating the material of a cathode and depositing a layer of coating on the base material of the cutting tool at a temperature thereof which permits a catalytic reaction to take place owing whereto the content of the non-metallic component falls within the boundaries of a region wherein the compound with the highest thermodynamic stability is homogeneous.

Abstract: A process for deposition of a wear-resistant coating onto a cutting tool made from a carbon-containing material by condensation of a substance by bombardment with ions of a cathode material evaporated in a vacuum chamber by means of an arc discharge, wherein prior to placing the cutting tool into the vacuum chamber it is immersed into a saturated solution of a salt, kept therein for 5 to 10 min and the solvent is evaporated till crystallization of the salt on the cutting tool surface occurs; heating of the cutting tool by ion bombardment is effected first to the temperature of decomposition of the salt crystals, whereafter the arc discharge is switched-off, the cutting tool is kept for 15 to 30 seconds, the arc discharged is re-energized and the heating is continued to the temperature of carbidization of the evaporated cathode material.

Abstract: A method for the production of cutting tools from an iron-based alloy and having a wear-resistant coating based on interstitial phases is provided and comprises depositing the wear-resistant coating by condensing a cathode material evaporable by an arc discharge, use being made of titanium or a titanium-based alloy as the cathode material. Upon depositing a coating of a predetermined thickness, an oxygen-containing redox gas or gaseous mixture is fed into the vacuum chamber and the cutting tool is heated up to the temperature of the eutectoid decomposition in the pseudobinary `iron-titanium` system. Thereupon the cutting tool is subjected to annealing in an atmosphere of the oxygen-containing redox gas or gaseous mixture for 10 to 40 minutes at the temperature of the martensitic transformation in the pseudobinary `iron-titanium` system.

Abstract: A multilayer coating of metal-cutting tools is composed of alternating layers of two components. One of these is a nitride or carbide of a metal of group IV. The other is a nitride, carbide, boride or silicide of a metal of group VI. The layer thickness of the group IV metal compound is from 0.05 to 0.5 .mu.m, and the layer thickness of the group VI metal compound constitutes 15 to 40 percent of the layer thickness of the group IV metal compound. The multilayer coating is preferably intended for application to metal-cutting tools used for machining high-alloyed materials.

Abstract: A cutting tool hardening method, according to which a tool to be hardened is heated in air to a temperature of 130.degree. to 560.degree. C. in order to produce an oxide film 200 to 10,000 .ANG. thick on its surface which is then coated with a wear-resistant material by vacuum deposition.

Abstract: Cutting tools according to the invention are provided with a wear-resistant coating of heat-resistant compounds of high-melting metals. A layer of a pure metal is provided between the base material and the coating. The base material is a ceramic or an aluminum oxide-based metal-ceramic material. The intermediate layer is discontinuous. Such tools are manufactured by using condensation of plasma material and ion bombardment in order to successively deposit an intermediate layer of a pure metal and a coating of heat-resistant compounds of high-melting metals on the surface of the base material. The intermediate layer is deposited at a temperature of 1/2T.sub.S >T>1/3T.sub.S, where T.sub.S is the melting temperature of the metal being deposited and T is the temperature of the tool in .degree. K. The condensation rate and the duration of deposition are selected bearing in mind that metal is to be deposited only on defects found on the surface of the base material.

Abstract: A coating for a metal-cutting tool consisting of 90 to 70 wt. % of titanium nitride and 10 to 30 wt. % of chromium nitride or 3 to 18 wt. % of aluminium nitride, 2 to 8 wt. % of molybdenum nitride, 2 to 10 wt. % of chromium nitride, 0.5 to 10 wt. % of silicon nitride, taken in combination and uniformly distributed within the volume of the coating, titanium nitride being the balance.The coating is intended predominantly for application to metal-cutting tools when working stainless steels and refractory alloys.