Abstract
The current research work investigates the impact of laser treatment on Silicon Nitride (SiN) coating and its performance in the bio-tribological environment. The Cathodic Arc Deposited (CADed) SiN coating over the bio-grade TiAlNb alloy is post-treated with a Yb-doped fibre laser beam. The biocompatibility, surface morphology, and physio-chemical properties of the laser-treated SiN surface are examined. The laser treatment on the SiN surface improved the microhardness above 11 times compared to the TiAlNb alloy. The residual stress of the SiN coating is reduced by the laser treatment and it increased the anti-friction film to reduce the wear. The effect of tribo parameters on the laser-treated SiN-coated TiAlNb alloy is studied and the wear mechanism at the tribo-interface is examined using the SEM morphology. The cause and consequences due to the transition of the wear mechanism are revealed using the wear map in the aspect of bio-tribo conditions.
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The data that support the findings of this study are included in this available manuscript and the corresponding author provides any other supporting data upon reasonable request.
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Acknowledgement
The authors would like to thank the Laboratory of Tribology, Engineering Design Division, Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering Guindy (CEG), Anna University, Chennai and the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Adhi College of Engineering and Technology, Chennai for providing the research facilities.
Funding
Franklin Issac R (Corresponding Author) received the Direct-Senior Research Fellowship (F.No. 09/468(0521)/2018-EMR-I) under the Extra-Mural Research (EMR) division of HRD Group of Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), India for the support of doctoral programme during the preparation of this manuscript.
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Franklin Issac R (First Author) contributed to the characterization of samples and tribological experimentations. The first author and Devaraju A (second author) contributed to interpreting the results and writing the manuscript. Both authors reviewed and approved the manuscript.
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R, F.I., A, D. Effect of Laser Treatment on Surface and Interface of Silicon Nitride Coated Ti6Al7Nb Alloy – A Statistical Analysis. Silicon 15, 1545–1561 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12633-023-02319-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12633-023-02319-4