Surface modification of titanium for wear resistance through solid-phase diffusion of iron

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Surface Engineering
• Metallurgy

Background:

• Titanium (Ti) exhibits poor wear resistance, limiting its applications.
• Ti-Fe alloys offer superior wear resistance but suffer from brittleness.
• Developing wear-resistant Ti surfaces without compromising mechanical properties is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a surface modification technique for titanium to improve wear resistance.
• To create a gradient Ti-Fe alloy layer on the titanium surface.
• To investigate the relationship between the alloy layer's structure and its wear performance.

Main Methods:

• Coating titanium surfaces with iron.
• Applying heat treatment for solid-phase diffusion of iron into titanium.
• Characterizing the resulting gradient Ti-Fe alloy layer structure and composition.
• Evaluating the wear resistance of the modified surfaces.

Main Results:

• Successfully formed a gradient Ti-Fe alloy layer on the titanium surface via solid-phase diffusion.
• The alloy layer displayed a continuous decrease in iron concentration from the surface inward.
• Surfaces with a β-phase outermost layer exhibited exceptional wear resistance.
• The gradient structure enhanced wear resistance by combining hardness and ductility, reducing delamination.

Conclusions:

• The developed surface modification method effectively improves titanium's wear resistance.
• The gradient Ti-Fe alloy layer provides a promising solution for enhancing titanium's durability.
• This technique offers a pathway to overcome the brittleness issue in Ti-Fe alloys for practical applications.