MECHANICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF SEVERAL ION-IMPLANTED ALLOYS - NANOINDENTATION TESTING, WEAR TESTING AND FINITE-ELEMENT MODELING

The influence of ion implantation on the mechanical properties of metal alloys has been examined using a variety of experimental and numerical techniques. Ultralow load indentation testing and finite element modeling has been used for the aluminum/oxygen to extract fundamental mechanical properties. Aluminum implanted with 20 at.% O exhibits extraordinary strength, as high as 3300 MPa. The degree of strengthening expected for this Al(O) alloy on the basis of the observed microstructure of fine (1.5-3.5 nm) oxide precipitates was estimated using several micromechanical models, and the results agree with our experimental findings. Pin-on-disk tribological characterization of aluminum implanted with 10 at.% oxygen revealed that the ion-beam treatment reduced the average friction coefficient from greater than 1.0 (for pure Al) to approximately 0.25 (for Al(O)). Large-amplitude stick-slip oscillations, which occur within the first two cycles for pure aluminum, were postponed to 30-50 cycles for the ion-implanted material. Two stainless steels which have been amorphized by implantation, 304 implanted with C and 440C implanted with Ti + C, show measurable hardening with implantation, of the order of 40 and 15%, respectively. In addition, nanoindentation within pin-on-disk wear tracks on 440C reveals that the mechanical state of the extensively deformed implanted layer is apparently unchanged from its initial state.