Volume 19 (2019): Issue 4 (December 2019)

The ceramic coatings based on mixture of Al₂O₃ and TiO₂ have better properties in comparison to the pure alumina ones. Among many techniques, plasma spraying is very useful method of ceramic coatings manufacturing. In this paper, the results of microscopic, mechanical and tribological properties investigations of Al₂O₃ + 13 wt% TiO₂ coatings manufactured by atmospheric plasma spraying are presented. The cylinder substrates made from stainless steel (X5CrNi18-10) had a diameter equal to 25 mm and thickness equal to 2 mm. The plasma spray experimental parameters included three variables: (i) type of injection system (external or internal), (ii) size of corundum particles for sandblasting and (iii) torch linear speed. The results confirm, that type of injection system is a dominant parameter. Internal injection results in better degree of particles melting, what influences on wear resistance performance, as well as higher values of bond strength.

The cavitation erosion is the phenomena that causes degradation of fluid flow machinery components due to repetitive implosion of cavitation bubbles adjacent to the solid surface. Cavitation erosion is a complex phenomenon, which includes not only hydrodynamic factors of liquid, but also properties of erodible material e.g. microstructure, hardness or Young modulus. In order to reduce the negative impact of erosion on machine components, there are many methods to increase cavitation erosion resistance. The paper discusses the correlations between structural and mechanical properties and the resistance to cavitation erosion (CER) of pure materials, their alloys and coatings. Methods to increase CER have also been described - using heat / thermo-chemical treatment and application of coatings by various methods.

The paper presents the results of a study investigating the effect of slide burnishing on the surface roughness, surface layer microhardness and fatigue life of Ti6Al2Mo2Cr titanium alloy parts. The burnishing process was performed with the use of a diamond tip tool. Different machining fluids were used as machining media. Prior to burnishing, the samples were subjected to turning. The burnishing process led to reduced surface roughness (average roughness Ra decreased by 3.5 times and roughness Rz decreased by 2.5 times) as well as increased surface layer microhardness (microhardness maximum increase by 12%) and fatigue life of the tested parts. A relationship between the machining medium and the burnishing effects was also observed. The addition of a surface-active polymethyl methacrylate solution to the machining medium led to an increase in the surface layer microhardness and fatigue life of the workpiece.

The influence of storage locations of two grades of rutile flux cored welding wires on their surface condition and the strength of the welds made with them were studied. Wires were stored in real urban conditions (Gdańsk and Katowice) for 1 month, simultaneously recording changes in conditions: temperature and relative humidity of the environment. Visual tests of wires in the delivered and stored condition as well as visual and tensile strength tests of welds made with them were carried out. It was found that the surface of the wires underwent more intense degradation (atmospheric corrosion) during storage in Katowice than in Gdańsk. Significant difference in tensile strength was observed only for padding welds made using Gdańsk stored wires. The lowest recorded tensile strength value was not lower than the standard requirements for the wires.

The three dimensional Digital Image Correlation (3D DIC) method is used for measurements of deformations and displacement in plane elements exposed to loading. The paper presents the experimental tests of an application of the ARAMIS system to the analysis of deformation of joints welded with the FSW method after shot peening treatment. The butt joints were made of 2024-T3 aluminum alloy sheets with the thickness of 1 mm, which next were peened with glass beads about granulation in range 500 ÷ 900 µm. Tests of residual stresses by X-ray diffraction were also carried out. The aim of the study was to analyze the impact of shot peening on the value of stresses and the location of deformations in butt joints.

Carbon fiber has been used to reinforce both aliphatic and aromatic polyamides. Aliphatic polyamide is known as nylon and aromatic polyamide is often referred to as aramid. Among aliphatic polyamides, polyamide 6, polyamide 6,6, polyamide 11, polyamide 12, and polyamide 1010 have been used as matrices for carbon fiber. Factors affecting the properties of polyamide/carbon fiber composites are: fiber amount, fiber length, fiber orientation, matrix viscosity, matrix-fiber interactions, matrix-fiber adhesion, and conditions encountered during manufacturing processes. This article presents a state-of-the-art review on polyamide/carbon fiber composites. Polyamide/carbon fiber composites are lightweight and exhibit high strength, modulus, fatigue resistance, wear resistance, corrosion resistance, gear, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, chemical inertness, and thermal stability. Incorporation of oxidized or modified carbon fiber and nanoparticle modified carbon fiber into polyamide matrices have been found to further enhance their physical properties. Applications of polyamide/carbon fiber composites in aerospace, automobile, construction, and other industries have been stated in this review. To fully exploit potential of polyamide/carbon fiber composites, concentrated future attempts are needed in this field.