Effect of abrasive particle hardness on interface response and impact wear behavior of TC17 titanium alloy

Abstract

The impact wear behavior, dynamic response, and wear marks of TC17 titanium alloy in soft, hard, and mixed sand environments were studied. As the proportion of soft sand increased, the wear volume decreased significantly. At 75% and 100% of soft sand, ‘negative’ wear occurred, which indicated that the sand adhered to the surface of the specimen. However, no significant difference in peak impact force, impact return speed, and energy absorption was observed in different sand environments. Tests with varied impact velocities were also conducted. For different proportions of sand particles, the wear volume and wear rate varied with increase in impact velocity. An increase in impact velocity resulted in the increase in peak impact force and energy absorption, whereas the contact time and energy absorptivity decreased. However, no significant difference was observed in the peak impact force, impact return speed, and energy absorption under different proportions of sand particles when the impact velocity was a definite value. The main mechanism of TC17 titanium alloy was that hard sand particles were ploughed, extruded, and cut on the specimen surface; the soft sand particles were broken and adhered to the surface of the specimen to form a protective shell.