Microstructure transformation and physical and mechanical properties of ultrafine‐grained and nanocrystalline TiNi alloys in multiple martensitic transformations B2‐B19’

Comprehensive studies on the impact of multiple martensitic transformations B2‐B19′ on the structure and properties of ultrafine‐grained and nanocrystalline titanium‐nickel alloys are implemented. It is shown that in coarse‐grained, ultrafine‐grained and nanocrystalline titanium‐nickel alloys consecutive changes in the structure and properties take place, which are induced by phase hardening, when the number of thermocycles increases up to n = 100 with quick heating and quick cooling to ‐196 °C. During thermal cycling of coarse‐grained and ultrafine‐grained Ti₅₀Ni₅₀ alloys via the chosen regimes, the direction of martensitic transformation temperatures changes. First the temperatures reduce, then they increase with the number of thermocycles growing. The transformation temperatures in the ultrafine‐grained state of Ti_49.15Ni_50.85 are more resistant to thermal cycling than in the coarse‐grained state. Phase hardening occurs more intensively in ultrafine‐grained states of the studied titanium‐nickel alloys than in coarse‐grained state.     

The wear and corrosion resistance of shot peened–nitrided 316L austenitic stainless steel

316L austenitic stainless steel was gas nitrided at 570 °C with pre-shot peening. Shot peening and nitriding are surface treatments that enhance the mechanical properties of surface layers by inducing compressive residual stresses and formation of hard phases, respectively. The structural phases, micro-hardness, wear behavior and corrosion resistance of specimens were investigated by X-ray diffraction, Vickers micro-hardness, wear testing, scanning electron microscopy and cyclic polarization tests. The effects of shot peening on the nitride layer formation and corrosion resistance of specimens were studied. The results showed that shot peening enhanced the nitride layer formation. The shot peened–nitrided specimens had higher wear resistance and hardness than other specimens. On the other hand, although nitriding deteriorated the corrosion resistance of the specimens, cyclic polarization tests showed that shot peening before the nitriding treatment could alleviate this adverse effect.     

Microstructure and Tribological Properties of Plasma Nitriding Cast CoCrMo Alloy

A medical cast CoCrMo alloy was coated by plasma nitriding process to enhance the wear resistance.The microstructures,phases and micro-hardness of nitrided layers were investigated by atomic force microscopy(AFM),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),X-ray diffraction(XRD) and micro-hardness.Tribological properties were investigated on a pin-on-disc wear tester under 25% bovine serum solutions.The experimental results showed that plasma nitriding was a promising process to produce thick,hard and wear resistant layers on the surface of CoCrMo alloy.The harder CrN and Cr2N phases formed on the plasma nitrided layer with the compact nano-crystalline structure.Compared with the untreated sample,all nitrided samples showed the lower wear rates and higher wear resistance at different applied loads and nitriding temperatures.It was concluded that the improvement of wear resistance could be ascribed to the formation of thicker and harder nitrided layers with the specific microstructures on nitrided surfaces.     

Microstructure and Wear Resistance of in situ Formed Duplex Coating Fabricated by Plasma Nitriding Ti Coated 2024 Al Alloy

In this study, plasma nitriding was carried out on pure titanium film coated 2024 Al alloy to improve its surface mechanical property. Ti film with the thickness of 3.0 mm was firstly fabricated by means of magnetron sputtering method. Then, the Ti coated specimen was subjected to plasma atmosphere comprising 40% N2e60% H2 at 430 C for 8 h. The microstructures of the nitrided specimens were characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Microhardness tester and pin-on-disc tribometer were used to test the mechanical properties of the untreated and nitrided specimen. The results showed that the surface of the nitrided specimen was composed of three layers（i.e. the outside nitride Ti N0.3layer, the middle Al3 Ti layer and the inside Al18Ti2Mg3 layer）. The surface hardness and wear resistance of 2024 Al alloy were increased simultaneously by duplex treatment. The untreated specimen exhibited severe adhesive wear while the nitrided one behaved in middle abrasive wear.     

Combined effect of shot peening,subcritical austenitic nitriding,and cryo-treatment on surface modification of AISI 4140 steel

Shot peening is a simple but effective severe plastic deformation process to synthesize ultrafine grains in micro- to nanometer range on metallic surfaces. In this work, shot peening on AISI 4140 steel specimens was done in a novel centrifugal air blast shot peening reactor with shot velocity of 5.8?m/s for 3?h. Characterization of the shot peened surface (XRD, micro-hardness, SEM, and TEM) showed that surface undergoes significant plastic deformation with marked increase in microstrain of lattice, dislocation density, and surface hardness. XRD profiles and TEM analysis confirmed formation of ultrafine grain structure in the nanometer range. These specimens were then subjected to austenitic nitriding at 610°C for 4?h followed by cryo-treatment at???185°C for 32?h. Characterization of pre-shot peened nitrided and cryo-treated surfaces showed that there was marked improvement in surface hardness (from 695 to 797 HV_0.05) and effective case depth (from 19 to 54?µm) in comparison with un-shot peened nitrided and cryo-treated specimens. It was demonstrated that presence of ultrafine grain structure and austenitic phase during nitriding plays synergetic role to improve content and diffusion kinetics of nitrogen in AISI 4140 steel surface.     

不同温度下等离子渗氮后TC4钛合金的摩擦磨损性能EI北大核心CSCD

采用等离子渗氮技术提升TC4钛合金的耐磨性并探究最优渗氮温度。利用LDM 1-100型等离子渗氮设备,在650,700,750,800,850℃和900℃温度下对TC4钛合金进行渗氮处理,保温时间均为10 h。利用光学显微镜、扫描电子显微镜、白光三维形貌仪、X射线衍射仪和显微硬度计分别对不同温度渗氮试样的微观组织结构、表面形貌、表面粗糙度、相结构和硬度进行表征。利用CETR UMT-3型多功能摩擦磨损试验机测试等离子渗氮后TC4钛合金的摩擦学性能。结果表明:TC4钛合金表面显微硬度和粗糙度随温度升高而增大,在900℃渗氮后TC4钛合金表面显微硬度达到了1318HV 0.05,约为基体(360HV 0.05)的4倍。硬度的升高是由于渗氮后试样表面形成了硬质氮化物相(TiN和Ti2N相),且随着渗氮温度升高氮化物的含量增加。相较于低温渗氮(低于750℃)的试样,850℃和900℃渗氮试样的承载能力显著提升。与原始TC4试样相比,渗氮处理后试样的磨损体积显著降低。当渗氮温度为850℃时,试样磨损体积为未处理试样磨损体积的1.2%(1 N),3.0%(3 N)和62.2%(5 N),试样的耐磨性提升更为显著。     

Influence of the microstructure on the corrosion resistance of plasma‐nitrided austenitic stainless steel 304L and 316L

Austenitic stainless steels are widely used in medical and food industries because of their excellent corrosion resistance. However, they suffer from weak wear resistance due to their low hardness. To improve this, plasma nitriding processes have been successfully applied to austenitic stainless steels, thereby forming a thin and very hard diffusion layer, the so‐called S‐phase. In the present study, the austenitic stainless steels AISI 304L and AISI 316L with different microstructures and surface modifications were used to examine the influence of the steel microstructure on the plasma nitriding behavior and corrosion properties. In a first step, solution annealed steel plates were cold‐rolled with 38% deformation degree. Then, the samples were prepared with three kinds of mechanical surface treatments. The specimens were plasma nitrided for 360 min in a H₂–N₂ atmosphere at 420 °C. X‐ray diffraction measurements confirmed the presence of the S‐phase at the sample surface, austenite and body centered cubic (bcc)‐iron. The specimens were comprehensively characterized by means of optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, surface roughness and nano‐indentation measurements to provide the formulation of dependencies between microstructure and nitriding behavior. The corrosion behavior was examined by potentio‐dynamic polarization measurements in 0.05 M and 0.5 M sulfuric acid and by salt spray testing.     

The effect of laser surface nitriding with a spinning laser beam on the wear resistance of commercial purity titanium

Laser nitriding of commercial purity titanium using various concentrations of helium and nitrogen has been carried out. The surface appearance and microstructure of a treated layer were found to be dependent on the beam power density, interaction time, velocity and concentration of nitrogen. X-ray diffraction analyses have led to the conclusion that the dendrite layer in the resolidified zone of the nitrided specimens consisted mainly of TiN. The surface roughness of specimens after various laser treatments was investigated by SEM and a surface profilemeter. Using optical microscopy, the dendrite TiN and needle-like structure in the melt zone, and the large grain structure in the heat affected zone, were investigated. The surface wear resistance of nitriding CPTi was significantly improved compared to the untreated or laser glazed material, and the wear data were found to correlate with scanning electron microscopy observations. Two layers, having different microstructures, thickness and abrasive wear resistance were identified. Further, 100% overlapping considerably improved the wear resistance of the nitrided specimens.     

Effects of various nitriding parameters on active screen plasma nitriding behavior of a low-alloy steel

Active screen plasma nitriding (ASPN) is a novel surface modification technique that has many capabilities over the conventional DC plasma nitriding (CPN). In this study, 30CrNiMo8 low-alloy steel was active screen plasma-nitrided under various nitriding parameters such as active screen set-up parameters (different screen hole sizes, mesh sheet and plate top lids) and treatment temperature (520, 550 and 580 °C), in the gas mixture of 75% N₂+25% H₂ and chamber pressure of 500 Pa for 5 h. The properties of the nitrided specimens have been assessed by evaluating composition of phases, surface hardness, compound layer thickness and case depth using X-ray diffraction (XRD), microhardness measurements and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was found that the screen hole size and top lid type (mesh or plate) play an important role in transition of active species (nitrogen ions and neutrals) toward the sample surface, which in turn can affect the nitrided layer hardness and thickness. Treatment at higher temperature with bigger screen hole size resulted in a thicker compound layer and higher layer hardness. The compound layers developed on the samples treated under different conditions were dual phase consisting of γ′-Fe₄N and ε-Fe_2-3N phases.     

Deformation mechanism and in-situ TEM compression behavior of TB8 β titanium alloy with gradient structure

Severe plastic deformation is known to induce grain refinement and gradient structure on metals'sur-faces and improve their mechanical properties.However,the fundamental mechanisms behind the grain refinement and micromechanical properties of materials subjected to severe plastic deformation are not still well studied.Here,ultrasonic surface rolling process(USRP)was used to create a gradient microstructure,consisting of amorphous,equiaxed nano-grained,nano-laminated,ultrafine laminated and ultrafine grained structure on the surface of TB8 β titanium alloy.High energy and strain drove element co-segregation on sample surface leading to an amorphous structure during USRP processing.In situ transmission electron microscope compression tests were performed in the submicron sized pillar extracted from gradient structure and coarse grain,in order to reveal the micromechanics behavior of different grain morphologies.The ultrafine grained layer exhibited the lowest yield stress in comparison with single crystal and amorphous-nanocrystalline layers;the ultrafine grained layer and single crystal had an excellent strain hardening rate.The discrepancy among the grain sizes and activated dislocation sources led to the above mentioned different properties.Dislocation activities were observed in both compression test and microstructure evolution of USRP-treated TB8 alloy.An evolution of dislocation tangles and dislocation walls into low angle grain boundaries and subsequent high angle grain bound-aries caused the grain refinement,where twinning could not be found and no phase transformation occurred.     

金属钛激光气体氮化层组织及表面特征

采用连续波Nd-YAG激光在氮气环境中对金属钛进行激光气体氮化处理.利用SEM,XRD,XPS研究氮化层的显微组织、表面成分、结构.结果表明:通过激光气体氮化可以在金属钛表面得到表面相对平滑、无裂纹的氮化层;氮化层与基体材料之间为冶金结合.氮化层主要由枝晶状TiN组成,同时有TiNxOy,TiO2及TiC存在,外表面有C,O污染或吸附;TiN枝晶密度由表面沿深度方向下降.     

Laser Gas Nitriding of Ti-6AI-4V Alloy

Laser gas nitriding of Ti-6A1-4V has been investigated with both CO₂ and Nd:YAG lasers. Results indicate that Nd:YAG laser in pulse mode provides a better surface finish and a lower cracking severity than CO₂ laser. A crack-free nitrided layer has been obtained by optimizing the processing parameters. Titanium nitride (TiN) significantly increases the hardness of the nitrided surfaces. The amount of titanium nitride produced depends on the processing parameters, such as laser pulse energy and nitrogen concentration. With optimized parameters, the nitrided surface is somewhat rougher than the polished base metal but much smoother than the shot peened surface. The shrinkage effect in the laser melt zone produces surface residual tensile stresses regardless of the processing environment. Preheating or stress relieving after laser nitriding can significantly reduce the residual tensile stress level.     

Hydrogen-free nitriding of ZrTiAlV by double glow plasma discharge improving the wear resistance

A hydrogen-free nitriding method through double glow plasma metallurgy is exploited and a nitrided layer was formed on ZrTiAlV alloy. The nitrided layer was characterised through X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy techniques, as well as through Vickers hardness and friction and wear tests. Results showed that the nitrided layer is 580?µm thick, homogeneous and dense. It mainly consists of TiN, Ti₂N and ZrN phases. The hardness of the nitrided layer on the surface of the ZrTiAlV alloy is nearly 2.5 times higher than that of the ZrTiAlV substrate. The friction coefficient and wear resistance of the alloy considerably improved after nitriding.     

Low temperature nitriding of medium carbon steel

The authors present the results of nitriding of medium carbon steel at a low temperature of 573 K by using the surface-alternating current nanocrystalline treatment (SACNT), which is much lower than conventional nitriding temperature (about 773 K). The SACNT induces electrovalent bond to part by means of the iron ion transgressing, and the surface evolves to ultrafine grain layer. The nanostructured surface layer enhances the nitriding kinetics of pre-treated medium carbon steel. The samples were characterized by metallographic testing (scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical microscope (OM)), microhardness tester and X-ray diffraction.     

Kugelstrahlen von Spaltbiegeprofilen mit ultrafeinkörnigen Gradientengefügen

Linear bend splitting and linear flow splitting are innovative methods to produce bifurcated profiles with ultrafine grained (UFG) microstructures in an integral style. Linear bend split profiles exhibit high potential for lightweight applications, due to their bifurcations and the high strength of the ultrafine grained microstructures, which develop at the surface of the work piece. The presence of the ultrafine grained microstructure is accompanied by a duplication of hardness and strength and a markedly increase of the fatigue properties, compared to the untreated material. Because of their high strength, ultrafine grained materials exhibit increased potential for the formation of compressive residual stresses. Therefore, shot peening of ultrafine grained microstructures could result in an increased fatigue resistance. The results clearly show that shot peening, despite optimized shot peening parameters, does not lead to an increase of the fatigue resistance. Compared to the untreated ultrafine grained microstructure, the fatigue resistance of shot peened material is even lower. The lower fatigue resistance is probably caused by the roughness of the shot peened surface, which overcompensates the compressive residual stresses.     

Characteristics of the nitrided layer formed on AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel by high temperature nitriding assisted hollow cathode discharge

A series of experiments have been conducted on AISI 304 stainless steel using a hollow cathode discharge assisted plasma nitriding apparatus. Specimens were nitrided at high temperatures (520–560 °C) in order to produce nitrogen expanded austenite phase within a short time. The nitrided specimen was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, potentiodynamic polarization and microhardness tester. The corrosion properties of nitrided samples were evaluated using anodic polarization tests in 3.5% NaCl solution. The nitrided layer was shown to consist of nitrogen expanded austenite and possibly a small amount of CrN precipitates and iron nitrides. The results indicated that rapid nitriding assisted hollow cathode discharge not only increased the surface hardness but also improved the corrosion resistance of the untreated substrate.     

Characterization of plasma nitrided pure titanium by X-ray absorption spectroscopy

To date, the exact nature of the plasma nitriding mechanism and the role of energetic particle bombardment are not well understood. The purpose of this work has been to obtain a more detailed knowledge about the evolution of the plasma nitrided surface layer as a function of the energy of the bombarding particles. Nitrided layers were produced at the surface of pure titanium specimens at various flux energies by Intensified Plasma-Assisted Processing (IPAP), a triode plasma technique developed in our laboratory. X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure (XANES) spectroscopy and Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy were used to characterize the local structure of the titanium nitride layers. Cross sections of the processed specimens were studied by Auger electron spectroscopy and electron microscopy. The results showed that increasing flux energy promotes the formation of a well-ordered TiN layer at the surface. Low flux energies produce significantly lower fractions of the TiN phase at the surface, as well as thinner nitrided layers. A structural model was suggested and quantitatively tested based on the XANES and EXAFS measurements.     

FACTORS CONTROLLING THE FATIGUE STRENGTH OF NITRIDED TITANIUM

Abstract— The factors affecting the fatigue strength of nitrided titanium were clarified. The fatigue strength depended strongly on the fracture strength of the compound layer formed on the surface by nitriding. We found a Hall-Petch relationship between the fatigue strength of nitrided titanium and the grain size. The findings indicated that the reduction in the fatigue strength by nitriding results from both the formation of the compound layer possessing low fracture strength and grain growth occurring from ordinary nitriding. Furthermore, low-temperature nitriding (620°C, 24 h) was proposed to suppress grain growth. This treatment method improved not only the wear resistance and the corrosion resistance but also the fatigue strength of titanium.     

Herstellung,Mikrostruktur und Korrosionsverhalten der konventionellen und ultrafeinkörnigen Legierung EN AW‐6082

Fabrication, microstructure and corrosion behaviour of the conventional and ultrafine‐grained AA6082 The effect on the corrosion behaviour of the commercially available AlSi1MgMn alloy (AA6082) with ultrafine grains in comparison to coarse grains, i.e. the conventional material state was investigated. The results of the electrochemical experiments are presented in correlation to the microstructure before and after the corresponding examinations. The quantification of the induced corrosion damage as well as the corrosion characteristics shows the reduced susceptibility of the material with ultrafine‐grained microstructure in contrast to the coarse‐grained initial state.     

Microstructural and tribological characterization of plasma- and gas-nitrided 2Cr13 steel in vacuum

Plasma- and gas-nitrided 2Cr13 samples were characterized using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and microhardness testing techniques. Nitrogen concentration profiles in the cross-sections of the nitrided samples were obtained by glow discharge optical spectroscopy (GDOS). Residual stress profiles along depth of the nitrided samples were measured using an X-ray stress tester. The tribological behaviour of the plasma- and the gas-nitrided samples in vacuum was investigated in order to analyse the effect of nitriding on wear resistance of the 2Cr13 steel. The results show the tribological properties of the 2Cr13 steel in vacuum are improved considerably by plasma nitriding and gas nitriding resulted from microstructure modification and surface hardening during nitriding. The plasma-nitrided samples have better wear resistance than the gas-nitrided samples under 30 N, while the gas-nitrided samples have higher wear resistance under 90 N. With increasing normal load from 30 N to 90 N, the wear mechanism shows a transition from mild adhesive and abrasive wear to severe adhesive or even delamination wear. The plasma-nitrided sample has thicker compound layer than the gas-nitrided sample, resulting that it exhibits more intensive delamination under high load of 90 N.