Application Advantages and Surface Treatments of Titanium Alloy Valves in High Altitude Environments

Abstract

In high-altitude environments, low temperature and low-pressure conditions can lead to decreased power and incomplete combustion in diesel engines, which may also cause increased wear of valve components. Although valve manufacturing technology has been widely explored for decades, valve components often face severe working conditions of high temperature, high pressure, frequent impacts and friction, resulting in an exceptionally complex friction wear mechanism. Previous optimization measures for valve manufacturing have not fully addressed the problem of valve component wear. Therefore, a novel solution was proposed, namely the use of aluminized titanium alloy as valve material. This material, characterized by its high thermal strength and lightweight properties, is particularly suitable for use as valve material in diesel engines. However, due to the limited wear resistance of aluminized titanium alloys, it was necessary to improve their tribological performance and fatigue characteristics through surface treatment processes before practical application. In this paper, research on various surface treatment methods for aluminized titanium alloys was summarized, including ultrasonic surface rolling, laser surface cladding, chemical heat treatment and laser surface micro-texture. These surface treatment techniques effectively enhanced the tribological performance and fatigue characteristics of the aluminized titanium alloy materials and mitigated negative impacts on the material surfaces. Researchers have also achieved better results by employing composite treatments using different surface treatment technologies. The future research focus and direction were pointed out to be in-depth research on the precise machining parameters of aluminized titanium alloys, as well as the feasibility and effectiveness of using multiple machining methods. This will contribute to better addressing the issue of wear in valve components, thereby enhancing the performance and reliability of diesel engines. Furthermore, the applications of aluminized titanium alloys in other fields require to be widely researched and explored.

Keywords

• high altitude environment; valve assembly; aluminized titanium alloy materials; surface treatment technology