Abstract
Nanostructured surface layers were fabricated on titanium and steel components of the Ti/steel clad sheet by the surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT). The average grain size on the top surface layer of SMAT titanium component and SMAT steel component is ∼8 and 10–20 nm respectively. Subsequently, the nitriding behaviours of the SMAT Ti/steel clad sheet at 530°C for 8 h were investigated in comparison with those of the coarse grained counterpart. Experimental results showed that the surface nanocrystallisation evidently promotes the formation of an ultrafine polycrystalline compound layer on titanium component and of a much thicker compound layer on steel component. Surface property tests demonstrated that two components of the SMAT nitrided Ti/steel clad sheet exhibit high surface hardness and excellent wear resistance. This paper offers a novel approach for simultaneous nitriding of two components on the Ti/steel clad sheet.