Comparative Tribological Study of NiTi Diffusion Coated Titanium with Pure Titanium

Dry tribological behaviors of commercial pure (Cp) titanium and Cp titanium diffusion coated with equiatomic NiTi intermetallic layer were studied and compared at room temperature. Wear tests were performed by a pin on disk tribometer using 52100 steel pins, under various normal loads of 10, 20, and 40 N. worn surfaces were examined by scanning electron microscope, equipped with EDS analyzer. The wear rates of the coated materials were lower than those of the Cp titanium at all loads. This was mainly attributed to the higher hardness of the NiTi intermetallic layer compared to that of the untreated titanium. Furthermore, under an applying load of 10 N, a tribological layer was formed which could protect the surface from severe wear. The results also demonstrated a lower coefficient of friction in the treated specimens compared to those of the Cp materials.

Influence of Growth Defects on the Oxidation Resistance of Sputter-Deposited TiAlN Hard Coatings

This paper reports the results of an investigation of the oxidation of a sputter-deposited TiAlN hard coating in air at temperatures of 800 and 850 °C for times ranging from 15 min to 2 h. The study is focused on the role of growth defects in the oxidation process. The mechanism of oxidation at the site of the defect was studied on cross-sections made by the consecutive sectioning of oxidized coatings with the FIB technique. We found that in the early stage of oxidation, the locally intense oxidation always starts at such defects. Although the growth defects reduce the oxidation resistance of the coating locally, we believe that they do not have a decisive influence on the global oxidation resistance of the coating. There are several reasons for this. The first is that the surface area covered by growth defects is relatively low (less than 1%). Secondly, the coating is permeable only at those defects that extend through the entire coating thickness. Thirdly, the permeability at the rim of some defects strongly depends on the density of pores at the rim of defects and how open they are. The size and density of such pores depend on the shape and size of topographical irregularities on the substrate surface (e.g., seeds, pits), which are responsible for the formation of growth defects. We also found that oxidation of the TiAlN coating is accelerated by oxygen and titanium diffusion through the pores formed by crystal grain growth in the outer alumina overlayer. Such pores are formed due to the compressive stresses in the Ti-rich oxide layer, which are caused by the large difference in molar volumes between the oxide and nitride phases.