Surface Modification of Ti-6Al-4V Alloy by Electrical Discharge Coating Process Using Partially Sintered Ti-Nb Electrode
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Characterization of Sintered Ti-Nb Alloy and Machined Surface by Electric Discharge Coating (EDC) Process
2.2. Development of Partially Sintered Tool Electrode for EDC Process
2.3. Characterization of Sintered Ti-Nb Alloy and Machined Surface by EDC Process
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Microstructure, Morphology, and Chemical Composition of Sintered Ti-Nb Electrode
3.2. Morphology, Chemical Composition, and Microhardness of EDC-Treated Surface
4. Conclusions
- A partially sintered Ti-Nb alloy has been successfully fabricated by mechanical alloying of Ti and Nb from powders, alloy modified later by spark plasma sintering technique, which was further used as tool electrode for the EDC process.
- The surface of Ti-6Al-4V alloy has been modified by EDM (positive Polarity) and EDC (negative Polarity). The EDC-treated surface contains only few cracks and smooth geometry as compared to the EDM-treated surface.
- A coating layer of Ti-O, TiC, Nb-C, and Nb-O have been successfully prepared by using partially sintered Ti-Nb alloy and Nb powder mixed in the dielectric fluid of electric discharge machine. The mass deposition of coating layer have almost linear relation and is significantly affected by the concentration of peak current, pulse duration, and Nb powder concentration.
- The thickness of coating layer was significantly affected by the concentration of peak current, pulse duration, and Nb powder concentration. Using the 0 g/L Nb concentration (EDM), the coating layer thickness ~ 149 µm was obtained for a longer pulse duration (400 µs). On the other hand, when the concentration of Nb was increased to 10 g/L and 20 g/L, the thickness of the recast layer increased to 195 µm and 215 µm, respectively, in the same working conditions.
- The EDS elemental map and XRD pattern analysis of the EDC-treated surface confirm the process in which the material migrate from the tool electrode to workpiece surface. Here, the suspended powder particles generated in the dielectric fluid which promote adhesion to the workpiece surface are playing the main role in the improvement of surface properties by generating favorable surface chemistry of oxides and carbides. When a higher concentration of Nb powder (20 g/L) is used, the EDC-treated surface is expected to form the Ti-O, Nb-O, Ti-C, and Nb-C like phases.
- The surface coating layer permits an increase in the microhardness of the workpiece surface from 365 HV to 1465 HV and demonstrates an excellent metallurgical bonding with the base workpiece surface. The adhesion strength is as high as 118 N for the EDC-treated surface when compared to EDM treated surface at 82 N, respectively; thus indicating that the EDC-treated surface may have good tribological properties.
- In summary, the EDC can be considered a great technique in order to improve surface characteristics and surface properties. The coating obtained by EDC process is more reliable and suitable for its purposes because the surfaces produced by this process demonstrated higher surface hardness that can be associated with better wear resistance of the implant. The Nb content in the coated layer provides superior corrosion resistance and allows improvements in the bioactivity of the implant substrate.
Author Contributions
Funding
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Name of Parameter | Range of Parameter |
---|---|
Workpiece | Ti-6Al-4V alloy |
Tool electrode | CP-Ti alloy |
Polarity | Reverse (−Ve) for EDC and Straight (+Ve) for electrical discharge machining (EDM) |
Peak current | 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 A |
Pulse-on time | 50, 100, 200, 400, 800 µs |
Duty Cycle | 8% |
Dielectric medium | Hydrocarbon oil |
Machining time | 15 min |
Powder Concentration | 5, 10, 15, 20 g/L |
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Prakash, C.; Singh, S.; Pruncu, C.I.; Mishra, V.; Królczyk, G.; Pimenov, D.Y.; Pramanik, A. Surface Modification of Ti-6Al-4V Alloy by Electrical Discharge Coating Process Using Partially Sintered Ti-Nb Electrode. Materials 2019, 12, 1006. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12071006
Prakash C, Singh S, Pruncu CI, Mishra V, Królczyk G, Pimenov DY, Pramanik A. Surface Modification of Ti-6Al-4V Alloy by Electrical Discharge Coating Process Using Partially Sintered Ti-Nb Electrode. Materials. 2019; 12(7):1006. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12071006
Chicago/Turabian StylePrakash, Chander, Sunpreet Singh, Catalin Iulian Pruncu, Vinod Mishra, Grzegorz Królczyk, Danil Yurievich Pimenov, and Alokesh Pramanik. 2019. "Surface Modification of Ti-6Al-4V Alloy by Electrical Discharge Coating Process Using Partially Sintered Ti-Nb Electrode" Materials 12, no. 7: 1006. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12071006