Tailoring Microstructure and Tribological Properties of Cold Deformed TiZrAlV Alloy by Thermal Treatment

Microstructure evolution and tribological properties of a new TiZrAlV alloy have been investigated in the present study. Various microstructures, i.e., equiaxed grain structure, dual-phase lamella structure, and heterogeneous lamellar structure, have been successfully prepared, and the effect of the microstructure on tribological properties was explored by means of cold severe plastic deformation combined with subsequent recrystallization annealing and aging treatments. The special heterogeneous lamellar-structured alloy exhibits a high ultimate tensile strength (~1545 MPa), reasonable ductility (~7.9%), and excellent wear resistance as compared with the equiaxed grain-structured and dual-phase lamella-structured alloy. The present study demonstrates an alternative route for enhancing the tribological properties of alloys with heterogeneous lamellar structure.