Wear Behavior and Structural Characterization of a Nitrogen Implanted Ti6Al4V Alloy at Different Temperatures

Abstract

ABSTRACTMechanically polished Ti6Al4V samples were implanted with 100 key nitrogen ions to a fluence of 5.1017 ions/cm2 at two different bulk tenneratures: 370°C and 470°C. Wear tests were carried out with a reciprocating slidina tribotester. Structural modifications and wear morphologies were studied by TEM and SEM. 370°C implanted sample showed the same wear behavior as unimplanted ones, while 470°C implanted sample showed better wear resistance because of a TiN hardened layer. Correlations- between microstructural modifications, wear behavior and mechanisms are reported: results agree with the delamination theory. Comparison with ion- and gas-nitrided samples are presented.