STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF PRELIMINARY ULTRASONIC SURFACE MODIFICATION OF TI-6AL-4V ALLOY SUBSTRATE ON THE FORMATION OF A NITRIDED LAYER

Zarina Aringozhina, Aringozhina Z, Magazov N, Amanov A, Askhatov A, Batanov E

This study examined how ultrasonic nanocrystalline surface modification (UNSM) influences the formation of nitride layers in Ti-6Al-4V alloy during ion-plasma nitriding (IPN). We systematically varied UNSM parameters—specifically vibration amplitude, static load, and processing temperature—to assess their impact on the material's microstructure, hardness, elastic modulus, and tribological behavior. Our findings indicate that an optimized UNSM pre-treatment significantly boosts nitrogen diffusion, resulting in the creation of dense and uniform TiN/Ti₂N layers. Notably, samples subjected to UNSM under high-load and elevated-temperature conditions showed the most substantial improvements. These included a surface hardness increase of up to 25%, an elastic modulus rise of up to 18%, and enhanced wear resistance with a more stable and reduced friction coefficient (around 0.55).Further scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses corroborated these results by confirming microstructural densification, grain refinement, and a heightened intensity of nitride phases. These findings underscore the scientific value and practical applicability of UNSM as an effective surface activation method. Consequently, the hybrid UNSM + IPN approach emerges as a promising strategy for prolonging the service life of critical load-bearing components like biomedical implants and other engineering parts exposed to severe wear.

Ti-6Al-4V, elastic modulus, hardness, coefficient of friction, ion-plasma nitriding, UNSM