The effect of bilayer period and degree of unbalancing on magnetron sputtered Cr/CrN nano-multilayer wear and corrosion

Cr/CrN nano-multilayers were grown on H13 steel and silicon (100), having different periods (Λ), at room temperature using the unbalanced magnetron sputtering technique by varying the degree of unbalancing (K_G) to investigate the effect on multilayer properties. The multilayers' total thickness was ~ 1 μm and the total number of layers varied from 10 (Λ = 200 nm), 20 (Λ = 100 nm) to 100 (Λ = 20 nm) layers. Film microstructure, hardness, wear and corrosion resistance were measured regarding bilayer period and degree of unbalancing. The results showed that wear resistance was lower for low K_G values and that corrosion resistance was higher and hardness was improved. Nano-hardness was found to be higher for multilayers grown with Λ = 20 nm for all K_G values, reaching a maximum 25 GPa value for K_G = 0.87.     

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.     

Effects of the machining conditions on the strain hardening and the residual stresses at the roots of screw threads

The strain hardening and the formation of the residual stresses at the roots of threaded joints produced by machining according to American Petroleum Institute (API) standards was investigated. Initially the problem is defined and then an experimental technique was developed for measuring the residual stresses at the roots of fine screw threads. The screw thread was cut on a tubular bar from chromium–nickel based alloyed steel. Residual stresses were measured by the electro-chemical layer removal technique. Experimental work showed that, sever strain hardening and the concentration of residual stresses at the roots of the screw threads took place depending on the machining conditions. Strain hardening in the range of 320–430 HV were found on the screw thread surfaces as compared to the base hardness of 260 HV. Residual stress ranging from 600 to 1450 MPa was developed as compared to the material tensile strength of 850 MPa. The depth for maximum residual stress is around 20 μm.     

Effects of grain size on compressive behaviour in ultrafine grained pure Mg processed by equal channel angular pressing at room temperature

Ultrafine-grained pure magnesium with an average grain size of 0.8 μm was produced by refining coarse-grained (980 μm) ingot by multi-pass equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) at room temperature with the application of a back pressure. The compressive deformation behaviour at room temperature depended on grain size, with deformation twinning and associated work hardening observed in coarse-grained Mg, but absent in the ultrafine grained material as decreasing grain size raised the stress for twinning above that for dislocation slip. The ultrafine grained Mg showed good plasticity with prolonged constant stress after some initial strain hardening.     

Corrosion resistance of multilayer coatings of nanolayered Cr/Ni electrodeposited from Cr(III)-Ni(II) bath

In this study the corrosion resistance of chromium and nickel single layers and multilayer coatings of nanolayered Cr/Ni, electrodeposited from Cr(III)-Ni(II) baths on low carbon steel substrates, has been studied. The coatings were electrodeposited from a bath using pulse current and modulated agitation. The total thickness of single layer and multilayer coatings was fixed at 5 μm and multilayer coatings with different modulation wavelengths and Cr to Ni thickness ratio were electrodeposited. Corrosion behavior of coatings was then studied by using potentiodynamic polarization test and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in 0.1 M H₂SO₄. The results showed that Cr and Ni single layers had low corrosion resistance due to the presence of surface cracks and pores, respectively. On the other hand, optimized 20 nm Cr/50 nm Ni multilayer deposition significantly improved corrosion resistance.     

The corrosion and wear resistances of magnesium alloy (LZ91) electroplated with copper and followed by 1 μm-thick chromium deposits

The Mg-Li-Zn alloy, LZ91, is a potential material for industrial application owing to its high specific strength. However, the LZ91 has so high chemical reactivity that it is easily corroded in air and an aqueous environment. In this study, an eco-friendly electrodeposition method was proposed to obtain a protective Cr/Cu coating on the LZ91 substrate. That is, the LZ91 surface electroplated a Cu undercoat in an alkaline Cu-plating bath and followed by decorative 1 μm-thick Cr electroplating in a plating bath with trivalent chromium ions. After electroplating, some of the Cr/Cu-deposited specimens were heated with a reduction flame for 0.5 s to increase the hardness of Cr-deposit. The wear resistance of as-plated and flame-hardened Cr/Cu-coated LZ91 specimens was estimated with ball-on-plate wear tester by using a steel-ball counterpart. Whereas, their corrosion resistance was evaluated in a 0.1 M H₂SO₄ solution before and after wear test. Experimental results show that a Cu deposit could be uniformly electroplated on the LZ91 surface by using our proposed electroplating method. The corrosion resistance of LZ91 was markedly improved after decorative 1 μm-thick Cr electroplating. After wear test, the steel counterpart was ground obviously with either as-plated or flame-hardened Cr/Cu-coated LZ91 specimen. According to the results of electrochemical corrosion test, some parts of the Cr deposit were peeled off from worn flame-hardened Cr/Cu LZ91 surface. This reduces its corrosion resistance significantly. On the other hand, the corrosion resistance of as-plated Cr/Cu LZ91 was not changed after wear test. That is, an as-plated Cr/Cu-coated LZ91 specimen could have good corrosion and wear resistance.     

Thick TiN films prepared by vacuum arc deposition and high energetic nitrogen ion beam dynamic mixing implantation

TiN films have many features, such as high wear resistance, high corrosion resistance and good oxidization resistance. With the technology of vacuum arc deposition and high current density nitrogen ion beam dynamic mixing implantation (DMI), the TiN film with a thickness of 33 μm and adhesion 58 N is synthesized on hard alloy and high-speed steel substrates. X-ray diffraction has been used to examine the crystal structure of the films. The results showed that the main phases presented in DMI films are TiN and Ti₂N and that the films revealed random growth. Cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy revealed the dense morphology and the thickness of the films. Micro-hardness tests showed that the average hardness of the films was about 2500 HK. Electrochemical experimental results indicated that DMI-TiN film had excellent corrosion resistance both in 3% NaCl solution and in 0.5 Mol H₂SO₄ solution.     

Wafer scale lead zirconate titanate film preparation by sol-gel method using stress balance layer

In this paper, platinum/titanium (Pt/Ti) film was introduced as a residual stress balance layer into wafer scale thick lead zirconate titanate (PZT) film fabrication by sol-gel method. The stress developing in PZT film's bottom electrode as well as in PZT film itself during deposition were analyzed; the wafer curvatures, PZT crystallizations and PZT electric properties before and after using Pt/Ti stress balance layer were studied and compared. It was found that this layer is effective to balance the residual stress in PZT film's bottom electrode induced by thermal expansion coefficient mismatch and Ti diffusion, thus can notably reduce the curvature of 4-in. wafer from − 40.5 μm to − 12.9 μm after PZT film deposition. This stress balance layer was also found effective to avoid the PZT film cracking even when annealed by rapid thermal annealing with heating-rate up to 10.5 °C/s. According to X-ray diffraction analysis and electric properties characterization, crack-free uniform 1-μm-thick PZT film with preferred pervoskite (001) orientation, excellent dielectric constant, as high as 1310, and excellent remanent polarization, as high as 39.8 μC/cm², can be obtained on 4-in. wafer.     

Production and characterization of boride layers on AISI D2 tool steel

AISI D2 is the most commonly used cold-work tool steel of its grade. It offers high hardenability, low distortion after quenching, high resistance to softening and good wear resistance. The use of appropriate hard coatings on this steel can further improve its wear resistance. Boronizing is a surface treatment of Boron diffusion into the substrate. In this work boride layers were formed on AISI D2 steel using borax baths containing iron-titanium and aluminium, at 800 °C and 1000 °C during 4 h. The borided treated steel was characterized by optical microscopy, Vickers microhardness, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and glow discharge optical spectroscopy (GDOS) to verify the effect of the bath compositions and treatment temperatures in the layer formation. Depending on the bath composition, Fe₂B or FeB was the predominant phase in the boride layers. The layers exhibited “saw-tooth” morphology at the substrate interface; layer thicknesses varied from 60 to 120 μm, and hardness in the range of 1596-1744 HV were obtained.     

Microstructure modifications and corrosion behaviors of Cr4Mo4V steel treated by high current pulsed electron beam

In this work, Cr4Mo4V steel was irradiated by high energy current pulsed electron beam (HCPEB) with energy density of 6 J/cm². Morphology and phase composition of the surface layer were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and glancing angle X-ray diffraction (GXRD). The crater-like morphology was observed on surface after HCPEB treatment, and the thickness of melted layer was ∼7 μm. Results from GXRD revealed that HCPEB treatment could suppress martensite transition and the content of retained austenite in the melted layer increased with irradiation number. The corrosion resistance was evaluated by electrochemical polarization tests in neutral 3.5% NaCl solution. Compared with the untreated Cr4Mo4V steel, corrosion potential of the samples treated by HCPEB improved and the corrosion current density decreased. The improved corrosion resistance is attributed to the absence of the carbide, formation of retained austenite and dissolution of alloy elements, particularly of Cr and Mo, into the matrix.     

Tribological behaviors of plasma-treated carbon composite grooved surfaces

The tribological behavior of carbon epoxy composites whose surfaces have many small grooves of 100 μm width were compared with respect to plasma treatment duration under dry sliding conditions. The surface coating material on the grooved surface was high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and suitable plasma treatment time for grooved composite surface for atmospheric pressure plasma system was experimentally investigated by measuring the friction coefficient and wear volume. The wear morphology of the composites observed with a scanning electron microscopic (SEM) revealed that the surface coating layer on the grooved surface significantly improved the wear resistance and the plasma treatment can improve the durability of the coating layer.     

Role of aluminum ion implantation on microstructure, microhardness and corrosion properties of titanium alloy

Ti-Al-Zr alloy was implanted with Al at cumulative doses between 1 × 10¹⁷ and 1 × 10¹⁸ ions/cm². The results indicate that the Al-implanted layers are ∼0.1 μm thick and are composed almost entirely of an amorphous layer. Implanted layer hardness is dose dependent and is increased by more than a factor of 4 for the high-dose implanted specimen when compared with that of the substrate material. The corrosion resistance of the sample was markedly improved after aluminum implantation.     

Synthesis and characterization of W reinforced carbon coatings produced by Combined Magnetron Sputtering and Ion Implantation technique

W-containing carbon coatings were deposited on plain carbon steel and titanium substrates by Combined Magnetron Sputtering and Ion Implantation (CMSII) technique. A target made of fine grain graphite with cylindrical tungsten pins mounted in the area of maximum sputtering rate was used. High voltage pulses (− 30 kV, 20 μs, and 25 Hz) were superposed over the DC bias. By adjusting the processing parameters nanocomposite nc-WC_1 − x/a-C coatings with a W content from 20 to 45 at.%, with a hardness of 12-22 GPa and a friction coefficient in the range of 0.12-0.22 were produced. These coatings have a thickness of 10-13 μm, good wear resistance and a good thermal stability up to 673 K.     

Uniaxial creep behavior of nanostructured, solution and dispersion hardened V-1.4Y-7W-9Mo-0.7TiC with different grain sizes

Nanostructured vanadium (V) alloys are expected to exhibit high performance under neutron irradiation environments. However, their ultra-fine or refined grains cause significant decrease in flow stress at high temperatures due to grain boundary sliding (GBS), which is the major concern for their high-temperature structural applications such as future fusion reactors. The contribution of GBS to plastic deformation is known to depend strongly on grain size (GS) and may give more significant influence on long-time creep test results than on short-time tensile test results. In order to improve the creep resistance through elucidation of the effect of GS on the uniaxial creep behavior of nanostructured V alloys, a solution and dispersion hardened V alloy, V-1.4Y-7W-9Mo-0.7TiC (in wt%), with GSs from 0.58 to 2.16 μm was developed by mechanical alloying and HIP processes, followed by annealing at 1473-1773 K, and creep tested at 1073 K and 250 MPa in vacuum. It is shown that the creep resistance of V-1.4Y-7W-9Mo-0.7TiC increases monotonically with GS: The creep life for the alloy with 2.16 μm in GS is as long as 114 h, which is longer by factors of 2-30 than those for the other finer grained alloys and by two orders than that for coarse-grained V-4Cr-4Ti (Nifs heat2, GS: 17.8 μm) that is a primary candidate material for fusion reactor structural applications. The minimum (steady state) creep rate decreases with increasing GS as ?_s ∝ (1/?)³, where ?_s is the steady state creep rate and ? is the grain diameter. The observed superior creep resistance of V-1.4Y-7W-9Mo-0.7TiC is discussed in terms of GS effects on dislocation glide/climb, GBS, and strain hardening capability enhanced by solution and dispersion hardening.     

Effects of boronizing on mechanical and dry-sliding wear properties of CoCrMo alloy

In this study, CoCrMo alloy was boronized at 950 °C for 2, 4, 6 and 8 h, respectively. The boronized samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, microhardness tester and ring-on-block wear tester. X-ray diffraction studies showed the boride layer formed at 950 °C for 2–8 h consisted of the phases Co₂B and CrB. A large number of pores formed in diffusion zone were probably attributed to the Kirkendall effect. Depending on boronizing time, the thickness of boride layer ranged from 4 to 11 μm. The excellent wear resistance of the boronized CoCrMo alloy was attributed to the high surface hardness of the Co₂B and CrB under dry-sliding conditions when compared to the as-received state.     

Room temperature deposited vanadium oxide thin films for uncooled infrared detectors

We demonstrate the room temperature deposition of vanadium oxide thin films by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique for application as the thermal sensing layer in uncooled infrared (IR) detectors. The films exhibit temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) of 2.8%/K implies promising application in uncooled IR detectors. A 2-D array of 10-element test microbolometer is fabricated without thermal isolation structure. The IR response of the microbolometer is measured in the spectral range 8-13 μm. The detectivity and the responsivity are determined as ∼6×10⁵ cm Hz^1/2/W and 36 V/W, respectively, at 10 Hz of the chopper frequency with 50 μA bias current for a thermal conductance G∼10-3 W/K between the thermal sensing layer and the substrate. By extrapolating with the data of a typical thermally isolated microbolometer (G∼10⁻⁷ W/K), the projected responsivity is found to be around 10⁴ V/W, which well compares with the reported values.     

Cyclic oxidation behavior of glass-ceramic composite coatings on superalloy K38G at 1100 °C

The SiO₂-Al₂O₃-ZrO₂-CaO-ZnO glass-ceramic composite coatings (GC), nanocrystalline NiCoCrAlY coating, and their combinations (bi-layer GC/NiCoCrAlY) were prepared on K38G specimens. The thicknesses of the glass-ceramic coatings and the NiCoCrAlY coatings were about 10 μm and 20 μm, respectively. Cyclic oxidation tests were carried out at 1100 °C for 120 cycles. Microstructures of the specimens before and after oxidation tests were characterized by SEM, EDS and XRD. The glass-ceramic coatings with or without a NiCoCrAlY intermediate layer improved the isothermal and cyclic oxidation resistance of the Ni-base superalloy K38G at 1100 °C, and performed better than the NiCoCrAlY coatings. An alumina layer formed at the glass/metal interfaces of the specimens coated by the glass-ceramic coatings with or without a NiCoCrAlY intermediate layer. The NiCoCrAlY intermediate layer was beneficial to the cyclic oxidation resistance of the glass-ceramic coatings.     

Effect of process temperature on the microstructure and properties of gas oxynitrocarburized 35CrMo alloy steel

In the present investigation, 35CrMo alloy steel was gas oxynitrocarburized at 550 °С, 570 °С and 610 °С for 2 h by applying a low-temperature gas multi-elements penetrating system. Microstructure, surface composition, case depth, microhardness, wear and corrosion resistance were analyzed. The compound layer consisting of γ′-Fe₄N and ε-Fe₃N and oxide layer of Fe₃O₄ and Fe₂O₃ were formed on the ground reference surface after treated. Compared with the conventional gas nitrocarburizing, a larger effective case depth was obtained successfully in a short time after treatment. The microhardness and the properties of wear and corrosion resistance were improved obviously and the properties of samples treated at 570 °C are optimum when compared with the samples treated at 550 °С and 610 °С for the same duration.     

The properties of gas tungsten arc deposited SiCP and Al surface coating on magnesium alloy AZ31

SiC particles and aluminum powders were used to deposit on the surface of magnesium alloy AZ31 by pulse square-wave alternating current gas tungsten arc (GTA) processing. This method is an effective technique in producing a high performance surface modified composite layer. The microstructure, microhardness, wear resistance and corrosion behavior of the GTA surface modified composite layer were evaluated. It was proved that no reaction products were formed at the SiC-matrix interface and no melting or dissolution of the SiC particle occurred during GTA surface modification. The microhardness of GTA surface modified composite layer was between 100 and 150 HV according to the variation of the GTA processing parameters. The microhardness, wear resistance and corrosion behavior of the GTA surface modified layer were superior to that of the as-received AZ31. The optimum processing parameters of the GTA surface modification of magnesium alloy AZ31 with SiC + Al for the formation of a homogeneous crack/defect-free and grain refinement microstructure were established.     

Effect of re-scanning on tribological characterization of laser surface alloyed layers

Laser surface alloying (LSA) is increasingly recognized as a powerful surface modification tool for enhancing the wear resistance of engineering components. Experimental investigations have been carried out to examine the influence of re-scanning on tribological behavior in laser surface alloying of Al with Ni. Dry sliding wear tests have been conducted using a reciprocating machine under different normal loads of 10, 15, and 20 N and at a constant sliding speed of 0.1 m/s. Re-scanning was found to substantially affect the laser-alloyed layer, including its phase constitution. Re-scanning leads to higher hardness compared to a single-time scan; however, the specific wear rate following re-scanning is lower. These observations are rationalized in terms of microstructure and the wear mechanism.