Microstructure and hardness characterisation of laser coatings produced with a mixture of AISI 420 stainless steel and Fe-C-Cr-Nb-B-Mo steel alloy powders

Fe-C-Cr-Nb-B-Mo alloy powder and AISI 420 SS powder are deposited using laser cladding to increase the hardness for wear resistant applications. Mixtures from 0 to 100 wt.% were evaluated to understand the effect on the elemental composition, microstructure, phases, and microhardness. The mixture of carbon, boron and niobium in the Fe-C-Cr-Nb-B-Mo alloy powder introduces complex carbides into a Fe-based matrix of AISI 420 SS which increases its hardness. Hardness increased linearly with increasing Fe-C-Cr-Nb-B-Mo alloy, but substantial micro-cracking was observed in the clad layer at additions of 60 wt.% and above; related to a transition from a hypoeutectic alloy containing α-Fe/α' dendrites with an (Fe,Cr)2B and γ-Fe eutectic to primary and continuous carbo-borides M2B (where M represents Fe and Cr) and M23(B,C)6 carbides (where M represents Fe, Cr, Mo) with MC particles (where M represents Nb and Mo). The highest average hardness, for an alloy without micro-cracking, of 952 HV was observed in a 40 wt.% alloy. High stress abrasive scratch testing was conducted on all alloys at various loads (500, 1500, 2500 N). Alloy content was found to have a strong effect on the wear mode and the abrasive wear rate, and the presence of micro-cracks was detrimental to abrasive wear resistance.

Production of Ti-6Al-4V billet through compaction of blended elemental powders by equal-channel angular pressing

In this work, compaction by warm equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) with back pressure was used to produce Ti-6Al-4V billets from both commercially pure (CP) titanium and titanium hydride (TiH 2) powders, which were mixed with pulverised binary Al-V master alloys of two distinct Al/V ratios and with elemental aluminium powder to arrive at the nominal alloy composition. It was demonstrated that the right combination of temperature, high hydrostatic pressure and plastic shear deformation permits consolidation of the powder mixture to maximum green densities of 99.26%. Moreover, after direct compaction of blended elemental powders by equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) with back pressure, the sintering temperature required for chemical and microstructural homogenisation of the compacts could be reduced by 150-250°C. This was possible due to high green density, increased contact area between powder particles and the formation of fast diffusion paths associated with grain refinement by severe plastic deformation. The sintered Ti-6Al-4V billets exhibited a maximum density of 99.88%, Vickers hardness of 409-445 HV1 and ultimate tensile strength in the range of 1000-1080MPa. In contrast to findings of other authors, the use of TiH 2 powders in conjunction with ECAP processing did not bring any benefits with regard to the production of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti-15Zr alloy used as dental implant material

Ti-Zr alloys have recently started to receive a considerable amount of attention as promising materials for dental applications. This work compares mechanical properties of a new Ti-15Zr alloy to those of commercially pure titanium Grade4 in two surface conditions - machined and modified by sand-blasting and etching (SLA). As a result of significantly smaller grain size in the initial condition (1-2µm), the strength of Ti-15Zr alloy was found to be 10-15% higher than that of Grade4 titanium without reduction in the tensile elongation or compromising the fracture toughness. The fatigue endurance limit of the alloy was increased by around 30% (560MPa vs. 435MPa and 500MPa vs. 380MPa for machined and SLA-treated surfaces, respectively). Additional implant fatigue tests showed enhanced fatigue performance of Ti-15Zr over Ti-Grade4.

Mechanical characterisation of advanced biomedical materials

Biocompatible Ti, Nb and Mo alloy was fabricated in search of a novel biomaterial for bone regeneration. A series of Ti-based alloys were prepared from elemental powders via powder metallurgy technique. The effects of ball milling variables and the agglomerated particles on mechanical properties of the bulk and porous structures were investigated.