A Review on Friction Stir Processing Over Other Surface Modification Processing Techniques of Magnesium Alloys

An enormous amount of research is conducted on aluminium alloys on friction stir process, despite magnesium alloy reporting severe weight reduction when compared to aluminium alloys; a very slight amount of research was testified by friction stir processing of magnesium alloys. Magnesium is highly reactive and susceptible to corrosion in the presence of an aggressive environment. This highly corrosive nature of magnesium limits its applications. Surface properties like crystal structure, composition, and micro structure influence the corrosion and wear property of the material. Coating and alloying like laser surface modifications are performed to passivate magnesium surface from corrosion. Coating techniques, however were found to be insufficient in corrosion protection due to coating defects like pores, cracks, etc, and adhesion problems caused due to poor surface preparation of the substrate, and also impurities present in coating which provides micro galvanic cells for corrosion. Current study analyses the detailed overview of different types of Surface modification methods such as Physical vapor deposition, Chemical vapor deposition, Chemical conversion coating, Ion implantation coating techniques and also work focuses on few of Alloying or Surface processing methods such as Laser surface modification namely Laser surface melting, Laser surface cladding, Laser Shot Peening, Laser surface alloying and Friction stir processing (FSP). Friction stir processing a novel method derived from friction stir welding is used as surface modification method, which modifies micro structure, composition of surface layer without changing bulk properties, for enhancing corrosion resistance property. FSP enhances the micro structure and homogenizes but it is also eliminating the breaking up of the brittle- network phases and also cast micro structure imperfections. Indeed FSP can produce particle and fiber-reinforced magnesium-based surface composites. FSP empowers the manufacturing of magnesium by adding additives. Comparison of the different methods of coating and surface modification has been compared with FSP

The Effect of Vanadium Content Coupling with Heat Treatment Process on the Properties of Low-Vanadium Wear-Resistant Alloy

The development of wear-resistant materials with excellent properties is of great research value in the manufacturing industry. In this paper, a new kind of low-vanadium wear-resistant alloy was designed and characterized to unveil the influence of vanadium content coupling with heat treatment on the microstructure, hardness, and abrasive wear property. The performances of commercial high chromium cast iron (HCCI) and the new low-vanadium wear-resistant alloy are compared. The alloy with 3 wt.% vanadium quenched at 900 °C and tempered at 250 °C, possessing VC, Mo2C, and M7C3 distributed in the martensite matrix, displayed a wear resistance two times better than the HCCI. The results showed that the increase of vanadium content from 0.98 wt.% to 3.00 wt.% resulted in a decrease in the size of M7C3 and a more homogeneous distribution of M7C3. VC with a bimodal distribution is effective for impeding grooving or indenting by abrasives because of their high hardness, which plays a vital role in improving the wear resistance of low-vanadium wear-resistant alloy.

Effect of Tungsten Carbide Morphology, Quantity, and Microstructure on Wear of a Hardfacing Layer Manufactured by Plasma Transferred Arc Welding

Hardfacing layers on mild steel substrates were successfully manufactured using a plasma transferred arc welding (PTAW) process to combine tungsten carbide powder and binder metal. Three morphological types of tungsten carbide powder were employed: spherical, fused angular, and mixed powder. The effects of both the morphology and the quantity of tungsten carbide powder on the wear property of the products were determined using a dry sand wheel abrasion test. The results revealed that two conditions effectively increased the wear resistance of the hardfacing layers: the use of spherical tungsten carbide and the use of an increased quantity of tungsten carbide. Moreover, the formation of an interfacial layer of intermetallic compounds (IMCs) between the tungsten carbide and binder metal, and the relationship between the microstructure of the IMC layer and its wear property were also investigated. It was confirmed that, in general, preferential wear occurs in the binder metal region. It was also unveiled that the wear property improves when interfacial IMC bands are formed and grown to appropriate width. To obtain a sound layer more resistant to wear, the PTAW conditions should be adequately controlled. In particular, these include the process peak temperature and the cooling rate, which affect the formation of the microstructure.

The Corrosion and Wear Behaviors of a Medium-Carbon Bainitic Steel Treated by Boro-Austempering Process

The effects of boro-austempering treatment on growth kinetics of borided layers, microstructure, and properties in a medium-carbon bainitic steel were investigated. The microstructure, distribution in coatings, corrosion, and wear properties of boro-austempered steels were characterized by a microscope, field-emission electron probe micro analyzer, scanning vibrating electrode technique system and wear resistance machine. The results show that the corrosion resistance of steels in different corrosive mediums was significantly enhanced by boro-austempering treatment. In addition, the wear performance of borided layers was improved by more than two times compared to bainitic substrates, proving a better wear property of samples treated through the boro-austempering route. The solubility of carbon and silicon in borides is very little. In addition, the dual-phase coating of FeB and Fe2B was observed, and the internal stress induced during the growth of Fe2B and FeB was almost eliminated. The preferential crystallographic growth directions of Fe2B and FeB are [001] and [010], respectively, which belongs to the (100) plane. Finally, the kinetics equation d2 = 0.125·t of the borided layers at 1223 K was established.

On the Grinding Performance of Alumina Wheels in Ultrasonic Vibration-Assisted Grinding of Hardened GCr15 Steel

Composite manufacturing with multiple energy fields is an important source of processing technology innovation. In this work, comparative experiments on the conventional grinding (CG) and ultrasonic vibration-assisted grinding (UVAG) of hardened GCr15 steel were conducted with WA wheel. The grinding wheel wear patterns and chips were characterized. In addition, grinding force, force ratio, and ground surface quality were investigated to evaluate wheel performance. Results illustrate that the interaction between abrasive grains and workpiece in UVAG process has the characteristics of high frequency and discontinuity. The wear property of abrasive grains is changed and the grinding force is decreased because the generation of micro-fracture in abrasive grains improves the grinding wheel self-sharpening. Better surface quality is obtained, the surface roughness is reduced by up to 18.96%, and the number of defects on the machined surface is reduced through the superior reciprocating ironing of UVAG. Accordingly, WA wheel performance is improved by UVAG.

Microstructure and Wear Property of ZrO2-Added NiCrAlY Prepared by Ultrasonic-Assisted Direct Laser Deposition

For improving the wear properties of NiCrAlY, the 10 wt %, 20 wt % and 30 wt % ZrO2-added NiCrAlY samples were prepared by ultrasonic-assisted direct laser deposition, respectively. The results showed that the ultrasonic-assisted direct laser deposition can realize the ZrO2-added NiCrAlY preparation. Furthermore, due to the cavitation effect and agitation of the ultrasound in the molten pool, ultrasonic-assisted could make the upper surface of the samples smoother and flatter, and it also improved the microstructural homogeneity. The microstructure was mainly composed of columnar dendrites, and most of ZrO2 particles were located in the intergranular regions. The principal phase constituents were found to contain γ-Ni and t-NiZr2, and the amorphous (Ni, Zr) intermetallic phase generated, because of more rapid solidification after ultrasound assisted. The microhardness was improved slightly with the increase of ZrO2 contents, rising from 407.9 HV (10% ZrO2) to 420.4 HV (30% ZrO2). Correspondingly, wear mass loss was decreased with the maximum drop 22.7% of 30% ZrO2 compared to that of 10% ZrO2, and wear mechanisms were mainly abrasive wear with slightly adhesive wear. After applying ultrasound, the oxide islands in samples disappeared, and more ceramic particles were retained. Thus, the hardness and wear performance of the samples were improved.

Enhanced Properties of Micro Arc Oxidation Coating with Cu Addition on TC4 Alloy in Marine Environment

By contrast with the traditional method of adding hard particles into micro arc oxidation (MAO) coating to improve its wear performance, this study introduced copper into the MAO coating on TC4 alloy by adding copper pyrophosphate to enhance the wear property in a marine environment and the antibacterial property. The results demonstrated that the MAO coating with copper pyrophosphate addition showed a porous structure, and Cu was mainly concentrated around micropores. CuO and Cu2O were formed in this MAO coating. This MAO coating with Cu had a high bonding strength to the substrate. Although the hardness of the coating with Cu had been reduced, it could reduce the friction coefficient and enhance the wear property in simulated seawater due to the lubrication of Cu. Furthermore, this MAO coating with Cu addition had obvious antibacterial and bactericidal effects due to the antibacterial effect of Cu.