Production of alloyed nanocrystalline surfaces by combined punching, sandblasting and recovery treatments

The paper describes a process combining punching, sandblasting and recovery treatments (PSR) for synthesizing an alloyed Al-Ti nanocrystalline surface layer on an Al alloy. The treated surface was about five times harder than that of the original alloy and the surface stability increased markedly, as indicated by an increase in the electron work function. The corrosion resistance of the treated surface was also raised significantly. These changes originated from surface alloying and nanocrystallization. (C) 2008 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.