Pressure Assisted Bonding Process of Stainless Steel on Titanium Alloy Using Powder Metallurgy

Titanium alloys have been widely used in many industrial applications. Nevertheless, efforts to improve their properties are continually increasing. One of the most effective routes to improve strength, hardness and wear resistance is to create a coating layer on the substrates. In the current study, stainless steel was selected for the in-situ joining and creating a continuous layer on the Ti6Al4V alloy. The Joining process was carried out at two different temperatures, 950 oC and 1050 oC, and the mechanical properties of the bonded materials were investigated employing hardness, bending strength and wear tests, while the bonding interface layer between the alloys powders was characterized by optical and scanning electron microscopes. The results showed that the higher the joining temperature, the wider the interfacial zone between the coating layer and substrate. The hardness and wear properties of the joint materials increased at 1050oC, while the bending stress was reduced and debonding was observed after the bending test. The chemical composition at the interface zone was identified by energy dispersive X-ray analysis, and the results showed high diffusion rates between the elements. As a result, the process used in the current study can be used for many titanium alloys, and their use in industrial applications can be increased.