Cathodic boriding and anodic polishing of medium-carbon steel by plasma electrolysis

The possibility of cathodic plasma electrolytic boriding of medium-carbon steel in an aqueous solution of ammonium chloride and boric acid followed by anodic plasma electrolytic polishing in an ammonium sulfate solution on the same equipment with a change in the operating voltage is shown. The morphology and roughness of the surface, microhardness of the modified layer have been investigated. Wear resistance was studied under dry friction conditions. It has been established that cathodic boriding at 850 °C for 5–30 min leads to the hardening of the surface layer up to 1050 HV with an increase in roughness by 1.5–2.5 times and wear resistance by 3.5 times. Subsequent anodic plasma electrolytic polishing of the boriding surface leads to a decrease in roughness with an increase in wear resistance by 2.3 times.

Plasma Electrolytic Polishing of Nitinol: Investigation of Functional Properties

A novel, environmentally friendly, fast, and flexible polishing process for Nitinol parts is presented in this study. Nitinol samples with both superelastic and shape memory properties at room temperature were investigated. The chemical contamination and surface roughness of superelastic Nitinol plates were examined before and after plasma electrolytic polishing. The shift in phase transformation temperature and tensile strength before and after the polishing process were analysed using Nitinol wire with shape memory properties. The obtained experimental results were compared to the data obtained on reference samples examined in the as-received condition. It was found that plasma electrolytic polishing, when the right process parameters are applied, is capable of delivering Nitinol parts with extremely high surface quality. Moreover, it was experimentally proven that plasma electrolytic polishing does not have a negative impact on functionality or mechanical properties of polished parts.

Investigation of Post-Processing of Additively Manufactured Nitinol Smart Springs with Plasma-Electrolytic Polishing

Additive manufacturing of Nitinol is a promising field, as it can circumvent the challenges associated with its conventional production processes and unlock unique advantages. However, the accompanying surface features such as powder adhesions, spatters, ballings, or oxide discolorations are undesirable in engineering applications and therefore must be removed. Plasma electrolytic polishing (PeP) might prove to be a suitable finishing process for this purpose, but the effects of post-processing on the mechanical and functional material properties of additively manufactured Nitinol are still largely unresearched. This study seeks to address this issue. The changes on and in the part caused by PeP with processing times between 2 and 20 min are investigated using Nitinol compression springs manufactured by Laser Beam Melting. As a benchmark for the scanning electron microscope images, the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements, and the mechanical load test cycles, conventionally fabricated Nitinol springs of identical geometry with a medical grade polished surface are used. After 5 min of PeP, a glossy surface free of powder adhesion is achieved, which is increasingly levelled by further polishing. The shape memory properties of the material are retained without a shift in the transformation temperatures being detectable. The decreasing spring rate is primarily attributable to a reduction in the effective wire diameter. Consequently, PeP has proven to be an applicable and effective post-processing method for additively manufactured Nitinol.