This work aims to propose the development of a low-cost ball-on-flat linear reciprocating apparatus that can have the same attributes of extremely expensive equipment available on the market. For this purpose, the device was constructed following the recommendations of the ASTM G133 standard. The device’s validation was performed trough a comparative study between the ASTM G133 standard and 3D profilometry technique by using Ti-6Al-4V and Ti-6Al-4V/Nb2O5 specimens. The results obtained in the present work were very motivating by showing it was possible to obtain the wear properties with reproducibility through the equipment constructed. The wear tests showed that the functionalization of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy with Nb2O5 coatings increased the wear resistance of the biomaterial, reducing the wear volume about 80.1 % when compared to the base material. Finally, this work demonstrated (i) the effectiveness and reproducibility of the device built to carry out microwear tests, (ii) the increase in resistance to the mechanical wear process conferred by the Nb2O5 film on the Ti-6Al-4V alloy and (iii) the powerful impact of the 3D profilometry technique when compared to the ASTM G133 standard for wear volume determination.
The aerospace industry is constantly looking for innovative materials that exhibit good mechanical and corrosion properties. The 2198-T851 (Al-Cu-Li) alloy was developed to replace the conventional Al-Cu-Mg in aircraft structures. Despite the usefulness of the 2198-T851 alloy, its performance may be affected when subjected to an aggressive medium containing chloride ions. The deposition of Nb 2 O 5 coatings by using the reactive sputtering technique on the 2198-T851 alloy surface appears as a powerful tool to improve the corrosion resistance of this material. Recently, groundbreaking research findings have demonstrated the positive effect of Nb 2 O 5 coatings on corrosion protection of alloy 2198-T851. However, the corrosion products originated from the 2198-T851 aluminium alloy are poorly understood. The use of Raman spectroscopy and XPS techniques may help to shed some light on the corrosion products of 2198-T851 alloy. Results demonstrated the corrosion products are mainly composed by CuCl 2 x H 2 O, CuCl, Cu 2 Cl(OH) 3 , Al(OH) 3 , and AlO(OH).
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