Microstructure developed in the surface layer of Ti-6Al-4V alloy after sliding wear in vacuum

Microstructural changes in the surface layer of Ti-6Al-4V alloy after sliding wear in vacuum have been studied by means of scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM). The wear rates of Ti-6Al-4V alloy in vacuum were measured under different sliding velocities and loads. The experimental results showed that a severely deformed layer with a grain size of 50–100 nm and thickness about 70 μm was formed underneath the worn surface. Under the slower sliding velocities, the substructure of the layer had a high dislocation density, while under higher sliding velocities, twins were found to exist in the substructure. A process by which the deformed layer formed has been proposed and the deformation of materials at the contacting spots of the Ti-6Al-4V sample is discussed.     

Improving fatigue performance of Ti-6Al-4V alloy via ultrasonic surface rolling process

The effect of a gradient nanostructured (GNS) surface layer obtained by ultrasonic surface rolling process (USRP) on the fatigue behavior of Ti-6Al-4 V alloy has been studied in this paper. Microstructure, surface topography, surface roughness and residual stress measurements were performed to characterize the surface under different conditions. Rotating bending fatigue tests were carried out to evaluate the fatigue behavior of different treatments. The results present a remarkable fatigue performance enhancement for the Ti-6Al-4 V alloy with a GNS surface layer obtained by application of USRP with respect to the untreated condition, notwithstanding its considerable surface roughness due to severe ultrasonic impacts and extrusions. Mechanical surface polishing treatment further enhances the beneficial effects of USRP on the fatigue performance. The significantly improved fatigue performance can mainly be ascribed to the compressive residual stress. Simultaneously, the GNS surface layer and surface work hardening have a synergistic effect that accompanies the effect of compressive residual stress.     

Impact of dressing infeed on SiC wheel for grinding Ti-6Al-4V

Present experimental investigation is directed toward the optimization of dressing infeed for silicon carbide (SiC) wheel to be employed for grinding difficult-to-machine super alloy Ti-6Al-4V. Grinding wheels are dressed using separate, however, identical 0.75 carat single point diamond dressers at 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 µm infeed values. Differently dressed wheels are consequently, applied for grinding Ti-6Al-4V under different infeed values of 5, 10 and 15 µm. All the operations have been performed at a constant velocity of 1810 m/min. The performances of the differently dressed SiC wheels are evaluated based on the variations of grinding force components, average surface roughness values, grinding ratio, chip forms and based on the analyses of the micrographs of wheel topologies and also of the ground surfaces, obtained using scanning electron microscope. Following the performance evaluation, the optimized dressing infeed has been found to be 20 µm for the operation range considered herein.     

Fabrication of spherical Ti-6Al-4V powder by RF plasma spheroidization combined with mechanical alloying and spray granulation

Spherical Ti-6Al-4V powder was produced by RF plasma spheroidization combined with mechanical alloying and spray granulation. Particle size distribution, morphology, specific surface area, apparent density, flowability, element distribution and content of alloy powders after each stage during the process were investigated. Results show that the obtained spheroidized Ti-6Al-4V alloy powder has dense structure, good sphericity and high spheroidization ratio (98%), moderate particle size (37.8 μm) with narrow distribution. It also has excellent flowability (33.2 s· (50 g)^-1) and apparent density (2.53 g·cm^?3). In addition, elements distribution in the spherical Ti-6Al-4V alloy powder is uniform and most of elements content of it is within the standard of Ti-6Al-4V alloy.     

Preparation method of low-oxygen Ti-6Al-4V alloy by solid state re-deoxidation using calcium

The oxygen concentration in commercial Ti-6Al-4?V alloys was reduced to less than 400?ppm in this study by the method of solid state re-deoxidation, using calcium as a reductant. The concentration of oxygen in the deoxidised Ti-6Al-4?V alloy was 630?ppm at the optimum deoxidation temperature of 1000°C. When the degree of vacuum was increased and re-deoxidation was carried out, the oxygen concentration decreased to 355?ppm. Therefore, it is possible to prepare a Ti-6Al-4?V alloy with an oxygen concentration of less than 400?ppm by using the solid state re-deoxidation method at a high degree of vacuum of 1.5?×?10-6 Torr.     

The effect of exposure on fracture of Ti-6AL-4V alloy

The fracture characteristics of the alloy Ti-6Al-4V after prolonged exposure to air at 900°C was investigated. It was found that the hard surface which forms during exposure changes the combined stress conditions into pure plane-strain conditions. Removal of the hard surface restores the properties of the non-exposed material. A qualitative model is proposed to explain fracture behavior during impact of sheet material with a hard surface layer.     

Ti-6Al-4V合金表面超声振动滚压强化研究

采用超声振动滚压加工技术对Ti-6Al-4V合金表面进行处理,探究该项技术对Ti-6Al-4V合金表面质量的影响。通过对该工艺加工前后的Ti-6Al-4V合金进行表面粗糙度参数、XRD图谱、截面微观形貌、表层残余应力及显微硬度的对比分析,结果表明:经该工艺处理后的合金表面各项粗糙度参数皆有明显降低;加工后的合金表面XRD图谱的衍射峰减弱且宽化,衍射角向高角度方向偏移;加工后的合金表层β相组织相较加工前明显细化,且随着深度增加β相组织逐渐增大;在距离表面约50μm位置的残余应力值最大可达到-967 MPa;加工后的合金表面显微硬度可达到421HV,且在0~140μm的深度范围内,显微硬度随着深度的增加逐渐减小至与基体硬度一致。经超声振动滚压加工后的Ti-6Al-4V合金表面质量显著提高,有利于提高其零部件的使用性能。     

Performance Analysis of Ball End Magnetorheological Finishing Process with MR Polishing Fluid

A ball end magnetorheological finishing (BEMRF) process was developed for finishing a flat as well as 3D workpiece surfaces. The BEMRF process has a wide scope in today's advanced manufacturing systems for finishing 3D complex surfaces. Magnetorheological (MR) polishing fluid is used as finishing medium in BEMRF process. The constituent of MR polishing (MRP) fluid includes ferromagnetic carbonyl iron powder, abrasives, and base fluid medium. The workpiece surface is mainly finished by abrasives contained in MRP fluid. Therefore, the different mesh size from 400 to 1200 and volume percent concentration from 5% to 25% of abrasives in MRP fluid were chosen as factors to study their effects on the developed process performance in terms of percent change in roughness values. Silicon carbide abrasives were chosen in the present experimental investigation. Experiments were performed on the ferromagnetic ground surfaces whose initial roughness values (R_a) were measured in the range of 0.428 to 0.767 µm. The experimental results revealed that the MRP fluid with 15 vol % abrasives of mesh number 400 demonstrated better improvements in surface texture of finished surface as compared to other MRP fluid compositions. The finished surface characteristics and textures were studied at microscopic level using scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy.     

Investigation on tool wear and tool life prediction in micro-milling of Ti-6Al-4V

Short tool life and rapid tool wear in micromachining of hard-to-machine materials remain a barrier to the process being economically viable. In this study, standard procedures and conditions set by the ISO for tool life testing in milling were used to analyze the wear of tungsten carbide micro-end-milling tools through slot milling conducted on titanium alloy Ti-6 Al-4 V. Tool wear was characterized by flank wear rate,cutting-edge radius change, and tool volumetric change. The effect of machining parameters, such as cutting speed and feedrate, on tool wear was investigated with reference to surface roughness and geometric accuracy of the finished workpiece. Experimental data indicate different modes of tool wear throughout machining, where nonuniform flank wear and abrasive wear are the dominant wear modes. High cutting speed and low feedrate can reduce the tool wear rate and improve the tool life during micromachining.However, the low feedrate enhances the plowing effect on the cutting zone, resulting in reduced surface quality and leading to burr formation and premature tool failure. This study concludes with a proposal of tool rejection criteria for micro-milling of Ti-6 Al-4 V.     

Surface nanocrystallization of Ti-6Al-4V alloy: microstructural and mechanical characterization

In this study, microstructural and mechanical properties of Ti-6Al-4V alloy, before and after the SMA treatment (SMAT) as well as the duplex SMAT/Nitriding process at different treatment conditions, were investigated in order to deepen the knowledge of these properties for biomedical devices. For that purpose, tribological (wear resistance, coefficient of friction) and mechanical (Vickers microhardness) tests were performed. To carry out the microstructural and surface topographical characterization of the samples, the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the 3D-SEM reconstruction from stereoscopic images have been used. By means of profiles deduced from the 3D images, the surface roughness has been calculated. The obtained results allowed to find an interesting SMAT condition which, followed by nitriding at low temperature, can greatly improve tribological and mechanical properties of Ti-6Al-4V alloy. It was also shown from SEM characterization and the original method of 3D-SEM reconstruction, that SMAT can reduce the machined grooves and consequently the roughness of the samples decreases. Moreover, we demonstrated, for the first time, that instead of usual etching method, the ionic polishing allowed to reveal the grains, the grain boundaries and the twins as well as the surface nanocrystalline layer generated by SMAT. Thus, the thickness of the SMATed layer decreases with the nitriding temperature, whereas the surface grain size increases.     

Machinability of titanium alloy through electric discharge machining

Titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V), being considered as hard-to-machine material, offers many challenges especially during conventional machining. Electric discharge machining could be a good option if it offers a good match between material removal rate and surface finish of the machined feature. The issue of appropriate selection of electrode material for good machining of Ti-6Al-4V is not yet comprehensively explored which is the core focus of this study. Moreover, the effect of pulse time ratio is thoroughly examined which is not specifically studied before. Discharge current and pulse time ratio are considered as the input variables, whereas the material removal rate and surface roughness are selected as performance measures of machinability. Copper, aluminum, brass and graphite are employed to evaluate the machining behavior. Experimental results revealed that aluminum electrode provides the lowest surface roughness, whereas the maximum material removal rate is achieved using graphite electrode. However, graphite electrode can offer high material removal rate with low surface roughness by initially employing negative tool polarity for rough machining and then positive tool polarity for fine machining.     

基于α'组织设计适于激光立体成形的新型高塑性Ti-4.13Al-9.36V合金

为了提高Ti-6Al-4V合金的加工硬化率和塑性,基于其团簇成分式12[Al-Ti₁₂](AlTi₂)+5[Al-Ti₁₄](V₂Ti)设计成分式为4[Al-Ti₁₂](AlTi₂)+12[Al-Ti₁₄](V₂Ti)的(Ti-4.13Al-9.36V, %)合金,采用激光立体成形工艺制备Ti-4.13Al-9.36V和Ti-6.05Al-3.94V(对比合金),研究了沉积态和固溶温度对其显微组织和力学性能的影响。结果表明,沉积态Ti-4.13Al-9.36V和Ti-6.05Al-3.94V合金的显微组织均由基体外延生长的初生β柱状晶和晶内细小的网篮α板条组成。Ti-6.05Al-3.94V合金的初生β柱状晶的宽度约为770 μm,α板条的宽度约为0.71 μm;而Ti-4.13Al-9.36V合金的初生β柱状晶的宽度显著减小到606 μm,α板条的宽度约为0.48 μm。经920℃固溶-淬火处理后Ti-6.05Al-3.94V样品的显微组织为α'+α相,其室温拉伸屈服强度约为893 MPa,抗拉强度约为1071 MPa,延伸率约为3%。经750℃固溶-淬火处理后Ti-4.13Al-9.36V样品的显微组织为α'+α相,与α'马氏体相比,应力诱发的α'马氏体能显著地提高合金的加工硬化能力,其室温拉伸屈服强度约为383 MPa,抗拉强度约为 989 MPa,延伸率达到了17%。这表明,根据团簇理论模型调控α'+α的显微组织能有效提高激光立体成形Ti合金的加工硬化能力和塑性。     

A New Approach for Manufacturing a High Porosity Ti-6Al-4V Scaffolds for Biomedical Applications

Titanium and its alloys are currently considered as one of the most important metallic materials used in the biomedical applications, due to their excellent mechanical properties and superior biocompatibility. In the present study, a new effective method for fabricating high porosity titanium alloy scaffolds was developed. Porous Ti-6Al-4V scaffolds are successfully fabricated with porosities ranging from 30% to 70% using spaceholder and powder sintering technique. Based on its acceptable properties, spherical carbamide particles with different diameters （0.56, 0.8, and 1mm） were used as the space-holder material in the present investigation. The Ti-6Al-4V scaffolds porosity is characterized by using scanning electron microscopy. The results show that the scaffolds spherical-shaped pores are depending on the shape, size and distribution of the space-holder particles. This investigation shows that the present new manufacturing technique is promising to fabricate a controlled high porosity and high purity Ti-6Al-4V scaffolds for hard tissue replacement.     

抗Zr“中毒”Al-Ti-B-C中间合金对7050铝合金力学性能的影响

通过场发射扫描电子显微镜(FESEM),X射线衍射仪(XRD),能量色谱仪(EDS)分析Al-5Ti-1B,Al-4Ti-1C和Al-5Ti-0.8B-0.2C中间合金的微观组织与物相组成,比较研究3种中间合金对7050铝合金晶粒尺寸与力学性能的影响。结果表明:Zr的存在削弱了Al-5Ti-1B和Al-4Ti-1C中间合金的细化效果,而对Al-5Ti-0.8B-0.2C中间合金细化效果影响较小。含掺杂型TiC粒子的Al-5Ti-0.8B-0.2C中间合金具有较好的抗Zr"中毒"能力,加入量为0.2%(质量分数,下同)时,含Zr7050铝合金平均晶粒尺寸由200μm细化至(60±5)μm,室温极限抗拉强度由405MPa提高到515MPa,提高了27.2%,伸长率由2.1%提高到4.1%。而加入0.2%的Al-5Ti-1B或Al-4Ti-1C中间合金时晶粒尺寸较粗大且分布不均匀,表现出明显的细化"中毒"。     

Development of titanium boride (TiB) dispersed titanium (Ti) matrix composite by direct laser cladding

The present study aims at development of TiB dispersed α-Ti matrix composite by laser melting of Ti-2 wt.% B alloy powder (of particle size ranging from 50-100 μm) using a high power diode laser with argon shroud and depositing the molten alloy on a Ti-6Al-4 V substrate in a layer by layer fashion (up to a maximum of 5 layers were built). Followed by direct laser cladding, the characteristics and mechanical properties of the clad layer were investigated in details. Laser cladding led to formation of TiB dispersed α-Ti matrix composite with an average microhardness of 290 VHN to 500 VHN for different conditions of lasing. The average Young's modulus was considerably improved to 155-165 GPa.     

Improved properties of Ti-6Al-4V by combining isothermal equal-channel angular processing and hot-extrusion

The aim of this work was to study effects of hot extrusion on the microstructure of Ti-6Al-4V (wt-%) alloy processed by ECAP. Firstly, an isothermally Ti–6Al–4V alloy processed by Equal channel angular pressing(ECAP) was preheated at 950°C for 6?min and then hot extruded at 900°C. The hot extrusion minimised the grain size and maximised the mechanical strength. Therefore, it was demonstrated that hot extrusion of Ti-6Al-4V alloys that processed by ECAP could be performed without compromising any mechanical properties. Therefore, it is possible to use the ability to apply a reduced cross-section in hot extrusion for an Ti-6Al-4V processed by ECAP without concern about the reduction of properties.     

Effect of Powder Mixed Dielectric on Material Removal and Surface Modification in Microelectric Discharge Machining of Ti-6Al-4V

Microelectric discharge milling is one of the variants of microelectric discharge machining process which acquire the attention of researchers due to its unique ability to produce microchannels and three-dimensional structures in difficult-to-machine materials like titanium. In the present work, an experimental investigation has been performed in order to study the effect of SiC microparticle suspended dielectric on machining Ti-6Al-4V with tungsten carbide electrode. The effects of major electric discharge milling process parameters—voltage, capacitance, and powder concentration in dielectric—on responses—viz., material removal rate (MRR) and tool wear rate (TWR)—were studied. Experiments were designed and performed based on response surface methodology (RSM)-Box–Behnken statistical design and the significance of in put parameters were identified with the help of analysis of variance. From the results, it is recommended to use powder concentration of 5 g/L, capacitance of 0.1 µF, and voltage of 115 V for achieving high material removal and low tool wear rate. Finally, the studies were conducted to analyze the surface modification and the quality of machined surface.     

Surface characteristics of a porous-surfaced Ti-6Al-4V implant fabricated by electro-discharge-compaction

Electro-discharge-compaction (EDC) is a unique method for producing porous-surfaced metallic implants. The objective of the present studies was to examine the surface characteristics of the Ti-6Al-4V implants formed by EDC. Porous-surfaced Ti-6Al-4V implants were produced by employing EDC using 480 F capacitance and 1.5 kJ input energy. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to study the surface characteristics of the implant materials. C, O, and Ti were the main constituents, with smaller amounts of Al and V. EDC Ti-6Al-4V also contained N. Titanium was present mainly in the forms of mixed oxides and small amounts of nitride and carbide were observed. Al was present in the form of aluminum oxide, while V in the implant surface did not contribute to the formation of the surface oxide film. The surface of conventionally prepared Ti-6Al-4V primarily consists of TiO₂, whereas, the surface of the EDC-fabricated Ti-6Al-4V consists of complex Ti and Al oxides as well as small amounts of titanium carbide and nitride components. However, preliminary studies indicated that the implant was biocompatible and supports rapid osseointegration.     

Al-5Ti-0.25C细化剂对2024铝合金组织及力学性能的影响

研究了Al-5Ti-0.25C细化剂对2024铝合金铸态显微组织及力学性能的影响。试验结果表明:未添加细化剂时,2024铝合金显微组织呈粗大的枝晶状,平均尺寸约为150μm;添加Al-5Ti-0.25C后,晶粒为细小的等轴晶。本试验条件下,最佳的细化剂添加量为0.3%,此时,2024铝合金的平均晶粒尺寸为56μm,其力学性能得到显著提高,抗拉强度和延伸率分别为382 MPa、2.60%,与未细化试样相比增幅分别为12.4%、69.9%。     

Fibroblast Adhesion and Proliferation on a New β Type Ti-39Nb-13Ta-4.6Zr Alloy for Biomedical Application

Cell attachment and spreading on Ti-based alloy surfaces is a major parameter in implant technology. Ti-39Nb-13Ta-4.6Zr alloy is a new β type Ti alloy developed for biomedical application. This alloy has low modulus and high strength, which indicates that it can be used for medical purposes such as surgical implants. To evaluate the biocompatibility and effects of the surface morphology of Ti-39Nb-13Ta-4.6Zr on the cellular behaviour, the adhesion and proliferation of rat gingival fibroblasts were studied with substrates having different surface roughness and the results were also compared with commercial pure titanium and Ti-6Al-4V. The results indicate that fibroblast shows similar adhesion and proliferation on the smooth surfaces of commercial pure titanium （Cp Ti）, Ti-39Nb-13Ta-4.6Zr, and Ti-6Al-4V, suggesting that Ti-39Nb-13Ta-4.6Zr has similar biocompatibility to Cp Ti and Ti-6Al-4V. The fibroblast adhesion and spreading was lower on rough surfaces of Cp Ti, Ti-39Nb-13Ta-4.6Zr and Ti-6Al-4V than on smooth ones. Surface roughness appeared to be a dominant factor that determines the fibroblast adhesion and proliferation.