Resumen
To improve the surface wear resistance, plasma nitriding of the prefabricated Cu-Ti films on the C17200 Cu alloy is performed to investigate the effects of the composition of the Cu-Ti films on the microstructure and the mechanical properties of the modified surface. The results firstly showed that obvious microstructure evolution appeared during the thermo-plasma nitriding process, where both the surface morphology of the composed phases and the cross-sectional profiles of the multiphase coatings varied for the three types of films. Small amounts of Ti-N compounds, Be3Ti2Cu, and different types of Cu-Ti intermetallics formed in the multiphase coating after plasma nitriding, which is dependent on the composition of the prefabricated Cu-Ti film. Correspondingly, the surface hardness and the wear resistance of the C17200 Cu substrates were obviously improved, with the obtained adhesive strength of the substrate reaching a satisfactory range.