The sandblasting process of titanium and titanium alloy materials is an important surface treatment technology, which aims to remove the oxide layer and pollutants on the surface, improve the surface roughness of the substrate, enhance the adhesion of the coating, or give the surface specific physicochemical properties to improve the mechanical properties of the material and other aspects.
Sandblasting is the use of compressed air or water flow will be abrasive high-speed spray to the surface of titanium alloy, in order to remove the surface of the oxide layer, dirt and impurities, so as to improve the surface roughness and adhesion. This method is commonly used in the surface treatment of titanium castings and forgings to ensure the adhesion of subsequent processing or coatings.
Blasting is not only used to clean and roughen the surface, but also to improve the microstructure of the material by adjusting the parameters. For example, the grain size of titanium alloys can be reduced to approximately 44 nanometres by blasting with a diameter of 0.5 to 2 millimetres, which enhances their fatigue tolerance and resistance to stress cracking. In addition, wet blasting technology combined with ultrasonic vibration can extend shot life and increase local yield strength while reducing surface roughness.
Shot peening has a wide range of applications in areas such as medical implants and aerospace. For example, sandblasting on implant surfaces can increase surface area, promote cell adhesion and proliferation, and improve osseointegration . In the integrated moulding of composites and titanium alloys, sandblasting can significantly improve the shear strength, which is conducive to the connection between composites and titanium alloys.
Sandblasting materials
The abrasives used in the sandblasting process are usually white corundum or quartz sand, which have high hardness and good cleaning effect. The sandblasting pressure is generally controlled below 0.45MPa to avoid excessive damage to the titanium surface. The distance of the nozzle from the casting surface should be kept between 20mm and 400mm, and the spray angle is controlled between 20° and 70°.
White corundum abrasive has high hardness and good abrasion resistance, which makes it able to provide strong cutting force and grinding effect during sand blasting, especially suitable for surface treatment of hard materials such as titanium and titanium alloys. White corundum blasting can quickly clean the surface of large workpieces, improve work efficiency, and enhance the adhesion of coatings through roughening, thus improving the quality of workpieces. In addition, white corundum blasting can significantly increase the roughness of the surface of the workpiece, so that the coating can better adhere to the surface and extend the service life of the coating.
Quartz sand is usually used in the sand blasting process for more gentle surface treatment, and its hardness and abrasion resistance are relatively low, so it is suitable for some occasions that do not have high requirements for the surface. Quartz grit has softer particles and less impact, so it may not provide as strong a cutting and grinding effect as white corundum during the blasting process.
SiO2 is also a common sandblasting material, with hardness and abrasion resistance between white corundum and quartz sand. The effectiveness of SiO2 blasting is likely to be somewhere between white corundum and quartz sand, providing a certain level of surface roughness to enhance coating adhesion without causing excessive damage to the surface of the workpiece as white corundum does. Because of its high hardness and strong grinding effect, white corundum is often preferred in the blasting process for titanium and titanium alloy materials to achieve the best surface finish.
Blasting process
1. Dry blasting process:
- Dry sand blasting is the most common sand blasting process, which uses compressed air as the power to blast abrasive materials (such as quartz sand, emery, iron sand, etc.) onto the surface of the workpiece to achieve the purpose of cleaning, deburring and increasing the surface roughness.
According to the different parts, choose different particle size abrasives and compressed air pressure. For example, larger steel parts over 3mm thick may use 2.5-.5mm quartz sand and 0.3~0.5MPa compressed air pressure.
2. Wet blasting process:
- Wet sandblasting is similar to dry sandblasting, but water is added to the abrasive to form a slurry to reduce dust contamination and reduce the surface temperature of the workpiece. Wet sandblasting is often used in the environment requires a high degree of cleanliness of the occasion.
3. Shot blasting process:
- Shot peening is similar to sandblasting, but uses spherical abrasives (such as steel or glass shot) instead of sandy abrasives. Shot blasting can produce compressive stress, improve the fatigue strength of the parts and resistance to stress corrosion, commonly used in the surface treatment of precision parts.
4. Siphon blasting:
- Siphon blasting uses a siphon tube to draw the abrasive into the air stream, and is suitable for surface treatment of small parts with complex shapes.
5. pressure blasting:
- Pressure blasting uses a pressurised container to push out the abrasive material at high speed, which is suitable for surface treatment of large areas and has high efficiency, but also has higher requirements for equipment.
6. wet blasting:
- Wet blasting combines water with abrasive materials to reduce dust and clean surfaces, and is suitable for applications that require environmental cleanliness.
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