Formation of the Morphology and Structural-Phase Composition of the Surface Layers in a VT6 Titanium Alloy as a Function of the Ion-Plasma Nitriding Temperature
摘要
The development of surface morphology, the elemental and phase composition of surface layers, and the microhardness of a VT6 titanium alloy during treatment in a glow-discharge plasma of N+ ions is studied without and with heating alloy samples to 300, 500, and 700°C. The formation of thin surface layers (up to ~20 nm) during ion-plasma nitriding without heating and with heating up to 300°C is shown to be controlled by oxidation processes; at sample temperatures of 500 and 700°C, the formation is controlled by nitrogen diffusion. An increase in the treatment temperature leads to the formation of rounded block-like features on the surface, an increase in surface roughness parameter Ra, and higher microhardness values of the samples, which is attributed to the formation of the Ti2N and TiN titanium nitrides at the surface and in the surface layers.