Abstract
Ceramic coating is an effective method for improving the erosion resistance of a material, particularly for titanium alloys. In this study, a TiN/ZrN (ceramic/ceramic) nanoscale multilayer coating is designed and prepared on the Ti6Al4V titanium alloy surface by the physical vapor deposition (PVD) process. The cross-sectional microstructure and phase composition are measured using SEM and XRD, respectively. The hardness, elastic modulus, and adhesion of the coating are measured by the nano-indentation and scratch method. The erosion test is conducted at a 45° angle with 100 m/s velocity using self-developed erosion equipment. The erosion resistance mechanisms of both the substrate and the coating are revealed more intuitively through a single sand particle impact test. The results show that the erosion resistance rate of the coating is 15.5 times higher than that of the titanium alloy substrate. The damage mechanisms of material removal of the coating include crack deflection, crack branching, and succeeding interaction between them when suffering an impacting load. These cracks are started from the droplets and the stress concentrations on the coating surface during the preparation of coating. They are the primary reasons for the decrease in the erosion resistance of the coating. This research is important for the optimization of the erosion-resistant coating structure.
Highlights
Sand erosion is a very common and severe wear phenomenon in industry, especially for helicopters or aero-transports serving in the desert [1,2,3,4]
The research in this study is of great significance for innovating the structure of anti-erosion multilayer coatings in the aircraft industry
The TiN/ZrN multilayer coatings were obtained by tuning the gas flow and by alternately launching titanium and zirconium targets
Summary
Sand erosion is a very common and severe wear phenomenon in industry, especially for helicopters or aero-transports serving in the desert [1,2,3,4]. Single-layer nitride coatings with high hardness were commonly used to resist solid particle erosion [9,10,11,12]. The thickness is limited for single-layer nitride coatings, while the total thickness of the coating can almost linearly contribute to the lifetime of coatings against erosion particles. The plasma-sprayed coatings possess a relatively lower erosion resistance than the bulk material due to its inter-splat pores [17,18,19]. We prepared a TiN/ZrN nanoscale multilayer coating to improve the erosion resistance of a titanium alloy using the PVD process. The erosion resistance and damage mechanism of the coating were mainly investigated and revealed by observing the erosion area and performing single particle impact tests. The research in this study is of great significance for innovating the structure of anti-erosion multilayer coatings in the aircraft industry
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