Microstructure and tribological properties of Zr-based amorphous-nanocrystalline coatings deposited on the surface of titanium alloys by Electrospark Deposition

In order to improve the wear resistance of titanium alloys, the Zr-based amorphous-nanocrystalline coatings were prepared by Electrospark Deposition (ESD) on the surface of TC11. The microstructure of the coatings was analyzed and the tribological behavior and mechanism of the coatings were investigated. The results show that the coating is mainly composed of amorphous phase Zr55Cu30Al10Ni5 and distributed a large number of nano particles with the diameter between 2 nm and 4 nm such as CuZr3, Ni2Zr3, NiZr2, etc. The new alloy system made up of molten electrode material of Zr-based alloy and TC11 substrate has a large glass forming ability, which transforms to amorphous phase in the rapid heating and cooling ESD process. The long-range diffusions of atoms such as Zr and Cu in amorphous microstructure play an important role in nano nucleation growth. The coating is dense, uniform, bonding with TC11 substrate metallurgically. The thickness of the coating is from 55 mu m to 60 mu m and the average microhardness is 801.3 HV0.025. The coating has good friction-reducing and anti-wear properties. The friction coefficient of the coating changes between 0.13 and 0.21 with small fluctuation, decreasing about 60% compared to that of TC11 substrate. And the wear resistance of the coating is increased by 57% than that of TC11 substrate. The main wear mechanism of the coating is micro-cutting wear accompanied with oxidation wear. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.