Fatigue and Mechanical Properties of Nanostructured vs. Conventional Titania (TiO₂) Coatings

Nanostructured and conventional titania (TiO₂) powders were thermally sprayed using APS and HVOF processes. The fatigue and mechanical properties of the coatings investigated. Coatings were characterized using SEM to investigate the microstructural features and Vickers indentation to determine the hardness. SEM analyses were also carried out on the fracture surfaces of fatigue-tested samples to assess crack nucleation and to study the mechanisms of deformations. The fatigue strength of coatings deposited onto low-carbon steel (AISI 1018) showed that the nanostructured titania coated specimens exhibited significantly higher fatigue strength compared to the conventional titania