Tribology of Ti-6Al-4V Alloy Manufactured by Additive Manufacturing

In this study, the influence of ultrasonic nanocrystal surface modification (UNSM), which was applied as a post-additive manufacturing (AM), in terms of surface, tensile and tribological properties of Ti-6Al-4V alloy by selective laser melting (SLM) was investigated. Ti-6Al-4V alloy was subjected to UNSM at room and high temperatures (RT and HT). It was found that the UNSM enhanced the strength and reduced the roughness of the as-SLM sample, where both increased with increasing UNSM temperature. The UNSM bore influence on tribological properties, where the friction coefficient of the as-SLM sample reduced by about 25.8% and 305% and the wear resistance enhanced by about 41% and 246% at RT and HT, respectively. These are essentially attributed to the enhanced strength, smoothed surface and expelled pores from the surface. Based on SEM images, the damage caused by abrasive wear was the most observed in the wear track of the as-SLM sample than was caused by the highest wear rate. The UNSM temperature-dependent wear mechanisms were comprehensively investigated and elaborated based on the obtained experimental data and observed microstructural images. Indeed, a further investigation is required to improve the characteristics of as-SLM Ti-6Al-4V alloy to the wrought level due to the replacement possibility

A Preliminary Study on Hybrid Use of Thermal Spray Coating and Ultrasonic Nanocrystalline Surface Modification Technique on the Tribological Properties of Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia Coating

An ultrasonic nanocrystal surface modification (UNSM) technique was applied to a thermally sprayed yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) ceramic coating deposited onto a hot tool steel substrate to improve the mechanical and tribological properties. The friction test results showed that the UNSM-treated coating had a smoother surface, a lower friction, and a higher resistance to wear compared to that of the as-sprayed coating. It was also demonstrated that the UNSM technique improved the adhesion behavior of the coating by about 24%. Hence, it was found that a hybrid use of thermal spray coating (TSC) and UNSM technique is a meaningful way to bring together synergy effect of two emerging surface technologies in terms of tribology

A Study on Surface Hardening and Wear Resistance of AISI 52100 Steel by Ultrasonic Nanocrystal Surface Modification and Electrolytic Plasma Surface Modification Technologies

In this study, a surface hardening of AISI 52100 bearing steel was performed by ultrasonic nanocrystal surface modification (UNSM), and electrolytic-plasma thermo-cyclic surface modification (EPSM), and their effects on the wear resistance were investigated. To evaluate the impact of these treatments on the wear resistance, the friction tests under dry conditions were conducted using a ball-on-disk tribometer in accordance with ASTM G99. The microstructure of the samples before and after treatment was characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The micro-hardness with respect to the depth from the top surface was measured using a Vickers micro-hardness tester. Microstructural observations showed that EPSM treatment led to the formation of residual austenite in the surface layer, while UNSM treatment led to the formation of a surface severe plastic deformation layer on the surface of the samples. The increase in the micro-hardness of the treated layer was confirmed after UNSM at room temperature and after EPSM at different cycles. The highest increase in wear resistance was observed for the specimen treated by UNSM treatment at 700 °C and five cycles of EPSM treatment. In addition, the wear volume, which has correlation with the friction coefficient and hardness, was determined.Peer reviewe

Effectiveness of Surface Texturing for Improving the Anti-seizure Property of Copper Alloy

AbstractIt is well known that lead-bronze is widely used in the automotive industry owing to the high anti-seizure property. However, because of toxicity of lead, the automotive industry demands a lead-free copper alloy from the viewpoint of environment. Lead- free copper alloy, which has the anti-seizure property as high as lead-bronze, has not been yet well exploited. For this reason, the objective of this study is to improve the anti-seizure property of lead-free copper alloy using a laser surface texturing (LST). In this study, a ring-on-ring sliding friction tester was used to assess the effectiveness of LST on the anti-seizure property of lead- free copper alloy. The upper specimens were made of FCD700, while the textured bottom specimens were made of PBC2 (lead- free copper alloy). A Daphne Hydraulic Fluid 32 (Idemitsu) paraffinic oil was used as a lubricant. The sliding friction test was conducted with a running-in period for 10min at a load of 50N. Afterwards, the load was increased incrementally from 50N to 1600N, while the friction coefficient was measured simultaneously. The friction test results showed that the textured specimens have a better anti-seizure property compared to the non-textured specimens. Based on the obtained experimental results, it was concluded that the arrangement and area ratio of dimples play an important role in improving the anti-seizure property

Improvement of the Process of Mechanical Dehydration of Five-Layer Semi-finished Wet Leather Products

To improve the process of mechanical dehydration of semi-finished wet leather products, a multilayer dehydration using felt materials – monshons was experimentally investigated. The process is conducted by vertical feed of semi-finished wet leather products on a base plate between rotating squeezing rollers. The D-optimal method of mathematical planning of the experiment and the Kano design matrix were used for conducting experiments. The multi-layer package consists of five layers of semi-finished wet leather products and two layers of moistureremoving materials between each layer, folded over the base plate. The studies were carried out in laboratory conditions on an experimental bench, taking into account the production parameters of processing. As a result of the study, mathematical dependences of the amount of removed moisture for each of five layers of semifinished wet leather product on the feed speed and the pressure of the squeezing rollers were derived. The analysis of the results showed that, with the existing parameters of mechanical dehydration, it was possible to simultaneously squeeze out moisture from five layers of the semi-finished leather product with a minimum pressure of the squeezing rollers and an average feed speed. The productivity of the technological process was more than five times higher in comparison with the productivity of similar roller machines. In the near future, this research methodology will be used to determine the technological factors affecting the extraction of excess moisture from a package consisting of ten semi-finished wet leather products and moisture-removing materials

Friction and Wear Characteristics of C/Si Bi-layer Coatings Deposited on Silicon Substrate by DC Magnetron Sputtering

The tribological behavior of carbon/silicon bi-layer coatings deposited on a silicon substrate by DC magnetron sputtering was assessed and compared to that of amorphous carbon and silicon coatings. The motivation was to develop a wear resistant coating for silicon using thin layers of amorphous carbon and silicon. Wear tests were conducted by sliding a stainless steel ball against the coating specimens under applied normal loads in the range of 20 * 50 mN. Results showed that the wear rate of the bi-layer coating was strongly dependent on the ratio of thickness between the carbon and silicon layers. The wear rate of the bi-layer coating with 25 nm thick carbon and 102 nm thick silicon layers was about 48 and 20 times lower than that of the single-layer amorphous carbon and amorphous silicon coating, respectively. In addition, the steady-state friction coefficient of the bi-layer coating could be decreased to 0.09 by optimizing the thickness of the layer. Finally, a model for the wear reduction mechanism of the carbon/silicon bi-layer coating was proposed

A Study on the Effect of Laser Surface Texturing on Friction and Wear Behavior of Graphite Cast Iron

Dimples with various pitches and densities were produced using laser surface texturing (LST) to improve the friction and wear behavior of graphite cast iron. The objective of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of dimples on the friction and wear behavior of an internal combustion engine (ICE) cylinder. The specimens with a dimple pitch of 150 lm and a dimple density of 13% exhibited the lowest friction coefficient among the specimens, while the specimens with a dimple pitch of 200 lm and a density of 7% exhibited the highest resistance to wear

Effects of Pre- and Post-Carburizing Surface Modification on the Tribological and Adhesion Properties of Heat-Resistant KHR 45A Steel for Cracking Tubes

In this study, the effects of ultrasonic nanocrystal surface modification (UNSM) technology on the tribological properties and scratch-induced adhesion behavior of a heat-resistant KHR 45A steel cracking tube, which is used for the pyrolysis process, were investigated. The main objective of this study is to investigate the effects of pre- and post-carburizing UNSM treatment on the tribological and adhesion performances of carburized domestic KHR 45A (A) steel and to compare the results with the existing carburized Kubota-made KHR 45A steel (B). A carburizing process was carried out on the polished and UNSM-treated KHR 45A steel substrates, which were cut out from the cracking tube, at 300 °C heat exposure for 300 h. The thickness of the carburizing layer was about 10 μm. UNSM technology was applied as pre- and post-carburizing surface treatment; both reduced the friction coefficient and wear rate compared to that of the carburized KHR 45A steel substrate. It was also found that the application of UNSM technology increased the critical load, which implies the improvement of adhesion behavior between the carburizing layer and the KHR steel substrate. The application of UNSM technology as pre- and post-carburizing surface treatment could help replace carburized Kubota-made KHR 45A steel (B) thanks to the improved tribological performance, enhanced scratch resistance, load bearing capacity, and adhesion of domestic KHR 45A (A) steel

Increase in Strength and Fretting Resistance of Alloy 718 Using the Surface Modification Process

This work comparatively investigated the strength (hardness, yield strength, dynamic elastic modulus, and surface residual stress), fretting failure, and corrosion resistance of the as-received and treated Ni-based superalloy Alloy 718. The goal of the current research is to improve the hardness, fretting wear, and corrosion resistances of Alloy 718 through the ultrasonic nanocrystal surface modification (UNSM) process with the aim of extending the lifespan of aircraft and nuclear components made of Alloy 718. The experimental results revealed that the surface hardness increased by about 32%, the fretting wear resistance increased by about 14%, and the corrosion resistance increased by about 18% after UNSM process. In addition, the UNSM process induced a tremendous high compressive surface residual stress of about −1324 MPa that led to an increase in yield strength and dynamic Young’s modulus by about 14 and 9%, respectively. Grain size refinement up to ~50 nm after the UNSM process is found to be responsible for the increase in surface hardness as well. The depth of the effective layer generated by the UNSM process was about 20 µm. It was concluded that the UNSM process played a vital role in increasing the strength and enhancing the corrosion and fretting resistances of Alloy 718