Aluminium surface impregnated with nano constituents for enhanced mechanical performance

Abstract

Aluminium alloys are widely used structural materials in automotive, aerospace, and transportation, among several other notable industries. However, aluminium alloys' low hardness and poor tribological performance prevent potential use in applications requiring high contact pressures and wear resistance. This paper presents a novel two-step technique for enhancing the mechanical properties of the aluminium alloy by impregnating the surface with Ni-coating containing hard TiO2 nanoparticles using a high-intensity electric arc generated during tungsten inert gas welding. The results show that the process significantly changes the Microstructure and mechanical properties. The surface hardness increased from 0.48 GPa to 0.65 GPa with a corresponding change of Young's modulus from 15 GPa to 24 GPa of the treated surface.