Patent ID: 7067022

Claim:
A method of forming a hardened surface on a substrate, comprising: providing a solid mass comprising a first hardness; processing the solid mass to form a powder; combining the powder with a metal strip to form a wire, the wire having a final composition comprising at least 55% iron by weight and at least one element selected from the group consisting of Si, C, P and B; applying the final composition to a surface of a substrate to initially form a layer having a second hardness, at least some of the layer comprising metallic glass, the applying comprising at least one of twin-roll wire arc deposition, single-roll wire arc deposition and high-velocity wire arc deposition; and converting at least some of the metallic glass to a crystalline material having a nanocrystalline grain size, the converting hardening the layer to form a hardened layer having a third hardness that is greater than the first hardness and greater than the second hardness.