Tribological Properties and Thermal Stability of Fe/TiO2-Reinforced Ni Base Composite Coatings Fabricated Using Pulse Electrodeposition
摘要
M142 aluminum alloy, commonly used in piston systems, exhibits inadequate performance under prolonged high-temperature and high-load conditions. This study developed a TiO2 nanoparticle-reinforced Ni-Fe composite coating via electrodeposition to address this. The effect of FeSO4·7H2O concentration on Ni-Fe coatings was first investigated. The results show that hardness increased with FeSO4·7H2O concentration, while the wear rate initially decreased and then increased. Adding TiO2 nanoparticles effectively mitigated the adverse effects of high Fe content, leading to a dense, homogeneous composite structure (NFT15). Compared to the NF25 coating, the TiO2-reinforced coating demonstrated a 19.5% increase in hardness, a 30% improvement in adhesion strength, and a 30.9% decrease in wear rate. It also exhibited superior thermal stability, maintaining structural integrity and showing a 41.7% hardness increase after thermal cycling. Finally, a multi-performance evaluation identified the composite coating with 15 g L−1 TiO2 as possessing the optimal overall properties.