Wear behavior of the plasma and thermal oxidized Ti-15Mo and Ti-6Al-4V alloys

Titanium and its alloys widely used in load bearing applications. Titanium alloys are capable of providing lower elastic modulus and better corrosion resistance with alloying processes. In spite of the modified mechanical properties, the surface degradation is still the main critical defect. Ti-15Mo alloy is one of the alpa+beta titanium alloys with acceptable mechanical and chemical superiority. Recent researches in literature show that the wear performance of base Ti-15Mo is relatively low as compared to Ti-6Al-4V, using in high performance applications. Plasma oxidized surfaces increase the tribological and chemical performance of titanium alloys. In this study the Ti-15Mo alloy and Ti-6Al-4V alloys were compared in terms of wear performance. To obtain alloys with similar microstructure they were solution treated at 800°C 1H and then air-cooled. The plasma and thermal oxidations were applied at 650°C for 1 hour. Wear performance of oxidized surfaces investigated in dry conditions. Oxidized surface characterized with XRD, SEM, 3D profilometer and hardness measurements. Wear volume calculated with 3D profilometer. Results show that oxidizing increased the surface roughness and improved the wear performance of Ti15Mo alloy. The plasma and thermal oxidized Ti-15Mo showed a remarkable increase in wear resistance.