Surface Characterization and Tribological Behaviour of Ti-Ni-P Intermetallic Coatings on Titanium Alloys

In this research, tribological behavior of Ti-Ni-P intermetallic coatings on titanium substrates have been investigated under dry reciprocating conditions. Hardness profile testing results exhibit that high surface hardness has been attained and static indentation result shows that the intermetallic coating has better adhesion strength than the conventional ceramic coatings. In this respect, these coatings have been able to protect the substrate under different loading and tribological conditions. The results show that Ti-Ni-P intermetallic coatings produced by diffusion processes have good adhesion to titanium substrate, offer a low coefficient of friction and prevent the galling of titanium to the steel counterface. The effect of increasing thickness was to increase the load-bearing capacity of the coating. Experimental findings also suggest that Ti-Ni-P intermetallic coatings would contribute to the expansion of industrial applications of titanium alloys.