Influence of technological modes of combined high-energy treatment on wear resistance of transition class titanium alloy

A contact interaction of the hardened steel 45 counterbody (pad) with the VT22 titanium alloy samples (rollers), treated with high-density alternating and direct currents, is studied during electromechanical treatment (EMT) and in its combination with isothermal aging. A 40–100-fold increase in the relative wear resistance of the VT22 surface-modified layer is revealed for the basic number of cycles compared to the as-received (initial) state. The microhardness of this layer is observed to increase by up to 40% over that in the as-received state. After high-energy exposure, the microstructure and its elements undergo significant changes, followed by the formation of multimodal gradient structures of different scale levels.