Effect of Surface Nanostructuring on the Erosion Wear Resistance of TiN and TiAlN Coatings on TC4 Substrate

ZHANG Xuedong; YE Jianzhong; LIU Yunfei; JIANG Xin; FAN Yongjun; QIU Xiaolai; LI Fanghong; YANG Hongjie; WANG Wenshan; HU Gaopan

doi:10.7643/ issn.1672-9242.2025.12.011

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Equipment Environmental Engineering ›› 2025, Vol. 22 ›› Issue (12) : 86-93. DOI: 10.7643/ issn.1672-9242.2025.12.011

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Effect of Surface Nanostructuring on the Erosion Wear Resistance of TiN and TiAlN Coatings on TC4 Substrate

ZHANG Xuedong¹, YE Jianzhong^2,*, LIU Yunfei¹, JIANG Xin³, FAN Yongjun¹, QIU Xiaolai², LI Fanghong¹, YANG Hongjie¹, WANG Wenshan², HU Gaopan²

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Abstract

The work aims to study the effect of surface nanocrystallization pretreatment of TC4 substrate on the erosion resistance and wear behavior of the coatings under a normal impact angle (90°) for a duration of 180 s. Following surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT) for nanocrystallization of the TC4 substrate, TiN and TiAlN coatings were deposited via multi-arc ion plating (MIP) to investigate the effect of this pretreatment on the coating properties. The hardness of the TiN and TiAlN coatings, as measured by nanoindentation, was 32.53 GPa and 39.5 GPa, respectively. A comparative study was conducted on the wear resistance of the coatings with a tribometer. The results indicated that the wear rate was reduced from the order of 10^‒5 mm³/(N·m) to the order of 10^‒6 mm³/(N·m) after the nanocrystallization treatment. Based on the independently developed sand erosion experimental platform, the corrosion resistance of TiN and TiAlN coatings was systematically evaluated. SEM morphology analysis showed that there was a significant difference in the erosion damage mechanism and erosion resistance of the two coatings. Further research revealed that surface nano-treatment could effectively improve the mechanical properties of the coating. The interface structure of TiAlN coating with pre-nanification treatment can effectively inhibit the initiation and expansion of erosion cracks, thereby showing the best erosion resistance.

Key words

nanocrystallization / multi-arc ion plating / TiN / TiAlN / wear / erosion

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ZHANG Xuedong, YE Jianzhong, LIU Yunfei, JIANG Xin, FAN Yongjun, QIU Xiaolai, LI Fanghong, YANG Hongjie, WANG Wenshan, HU Gaopan. Effect of Surface Nanostructuring on the Erosion Wear Resistance of TiN and TiAlN Coatings on TC4 Substrate[J]. Equipment Environmental Engineering. 2025, 22(12): 86-93 https://doi.org/10.7643/ issn.1672-9242.2025.12.011

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