Surface nanocrystallization by sandblasting and annealing for improved mechanical and tribological properties

A sandblasting and annealing process was utilized to modify the surface structure of aluminium. The modified surface structure was examined by x-ray diffraction (XRD) profile analysis and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It was demonstrated that the grain size of the sandblast-annealed surfac...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nanotechnology 2005-12, Vol.16 (12), p.2963-2971
Main Authors: Guan, X S, Dong, Z F, Li, D Y
Format: Article
Language:English
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:A sandblasting and annealing process was utilized to modify the surface structure of aluminium. The modified surface structure was examined by x-ray diffraction (XRD) profile analysis and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It was demonstrated that the grain size of the sandblast-annealed surface layer was in the range 50-70 nm. Mechanical and tribological properties of the nanocrystalline surface were investigated using micro-indentation, nano/micro-scratch, scanning Kelvin probe (SKP), and atomic force microscope (AFM) techniques. It was observed that the micro-hardness and wear resistance of the surface were considerably increased due to the formation of a nanocrystalline layer. In addition, a close correlation between the electron work function (EWF) and the adhesive force was observed; higher EWF corresponded to lower adhesive force and thus lower friction under light loads.
ISSN:0957-4484
1361-6528
DOI:10.1088/0957-4484/16/12/040