As an innovative surface technology for ultrahigh strain-rate plastic deformation, laser shock peening (LSP) was applied to the dual-phase TC11 titanium alloy to fabricate an amorphous and nanocrystalline surface layer at room temperature. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) were used to investigate the microstructural evolution, and the deformation mechanism was discussed. The results showed that a surface nanostructured surface layer was synthesized after LSP treatment with adequate laser parameters. Simultaneously, the behavior of dislocations was also studied for different laser parameters. The rapid slipping, accumulation, annihilation, and rearrangement of dislocations under the laser-induced shock waves contributed greatly to the surface nanocrystallization. In addition, a 10 nm-thick amorphous structure layer was found through HRTEM in the top surface and the formation mechanism was attributed to the local temperature rising to the melting point, followed by its subsequent fast cooling.
In this study, the anti-impact performance of the TiN coatings prepared under various substrate temperatures (35, 200, 400, and 600 °C) were evaluated using a cyclic impact tester under 104 cycles. Moreover, the microstructure and anti-impact performance-related mechanical properties (adhesion strength and nano-hardness) were investigated to reveal the underlying mechanism of how the substrate temperature affects the anti-impact performance of the coatings. The results showed that the substrate temperature has a great influence on the internal stress, nano-hardness, and adhesion strength as well as the anti-impact performance of TiN coatings, and the coatings prepared under 400 °C exhibit the best impact resistance. The small internal stress, strong adhesion strength as well as high hardness and H3/E2 value for the 400 °C prepared coatings are the main contributes.
An energy-controlled cycling impact test was applied to evaluate the impact wear behavior of hard coating. A multilayer TiN/Ti coating with a total thickness of ~10 μm, containing two TiN layers and two Ti layers, with the thickness ratio of these two kinds of the layers being 9:1, was chosen as the research object. The impact velocities were 60, 120, and 180 mm/s, and the impact cycles were 10, 102, 103, and 104, respectively. Damage morphology observation and numerical simulation were used to analyze the failure mechanisms. The results show that the contact time keeps almost constant under different impact velocities and cycles. Impact peak forces remain unchanged with increasing cycles at the same velocity, but they increase linearly with impact velocities, reaching a maximum value of 262.26 N at 180 mm/s. The energy dissipated rate (EDR) increases from 31.58% at 60 mm/s to 35.59% at 180 mm/s, indicating the degenerative toughness. Two impact-wear failure mechanisms are found in impact zones of the coating; these are peeling and circular cracks. Peelings are induced by cycling high-stress gradients in hard layers and interfaces. Circular cracks are caused by cycling tensile stresses in the form of fatigue at the edge of impacted pits.
This study presents the fabrication of a Cr3C2-25NiCr/NiCr coating on Co3W3 steel utilizing high-velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) spraying. The effects of the vacuum heat treatment process on the microstructures, mechanical properties, and wear mechanisms of the coating were systematically analyzed. The results indicated that the microstructure became denser following heat treatment. During the spraying procedure, decarburization resulted in transformation of the metastable phase structure into a stable one. In comparison to the sprayed coating, there was a 93.8% reduction in porosity. The precipitation of nano-secondary carbides shifted the mechanism of solid-solution strengthening to precipitation strengthening, resulting in a 29.1% increase in microhardness. Meanwhile, the thermal softening effect led to a 114.3% increase in fracture toughness. Wear experiments demonstrated that the friction-induced amorphous structure effectively mitigated stress concentration and inhibited crack initiation. The polycrystalline interface transition region between the nano-secondary carbides and the matrix facilitated the shedding of nano-secondary carbides, forming abrasive particles that generated a rolling effect, which significantly reduced the coefficient of friction. The semi-coherent interface between secondary carbides and NiCr decreased the interfacial energy and enhanced the bonding strength, effectively preventing the shedding of carbides during the wear process. Consequently, a dense microstructure, the type of interface, and high hardness and toughness were critical factors in enhancing its wear resistance.
To improve the laser-induced damage resistance of 7075 aluminum alloy, a typical aerospace material, a laser-resistant coating material for the surface of 7075 aluminum alloy was prepared in this paper. The performance of 7075 aluminum alloy coated with this coating was analyzed and tested by combining numerical simulation and experimental verification. The test results show that under the same laser irradiation conditions and geometric dimensions, the breakdown time of 7075 aluminum alloy coated with the laser-resistant coating is prolonged by 541.6%, and its laser-induced damage resistance is significantly improved.
To improve the laser-induced damage resistance of 7075 aluminum alloy, a typical aerospace material, a laser-resistant coating material for the surface of 7075 aluminum alloy was prepared in this paper. The performance of 7075 aluminum alloy coated with this coating was analyzed and tested by combining numerical simulation and experimental verification. The test results show that under the same laser irradiation conditions and geometric dimensions, the breakdown time of 7075 aluminum alloy coated with the laser-resistant coating is prolonged by 541.6%, and its laser-induced damage resistance is significantly improved.