• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.237-243
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• 2019

Through this study, we investigate the effects of ultrasonic nanocrystal surface modification (UNSM) technology on the fatigue life of needle roller bearings. The fatigue life of untreated and UNSM-treated needle roller bearings is evaluated using a roller fatigue tester at various contact stress levels under oil-lubricated conditions. We can ascertain that the fatigue life of an UNSM-treated needle roller bearing was extended by approximately 34.3% in comparison with an untreated one, where the effectiveness of UNSM technology diminishes with increasing contact stress. The surface roughness and surface hardness of needle roller bearings before and after being treated by UNSM technology are compared and discussed to understand the role of UNSM technology in improving the fatigue life of needle roller bearings. In addition, a fractograph of the damaged bearings is observed using a scanning electron microscopy to shed light on the fracture mechanisms of bearings under different contact stress levels. We can therefore conclude that the application of UNSM technology to the needle roller bearings improves the fatigue life by reducing the friction coefficient and increasing the wear resistance; this may be attributed to a reduction in surface roughness from 0.5 to $0.149{\mu}m$ and an increase in surface hardness from 58 to 62 HRc.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.41 no.11
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• pp.1011-1020
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• 2017

This study was conducted to investigate the material properties of stainless steel 316L specimens of untreated and UNSM treated material, hydrogen attacked material(100 bar, $300^{\circ}C$ at 120 h) and UNSM treated hydrogen attacked material at room temperature. Results demonstrated that the hydrogen attacked materials showed a tendency toward a slightly decreased fatigue strength, while the hydrogen embrittlement effect was smaller than the S-N curve of conventional untreated material. As compared to untreated material, the fatigue limit of the UNSM treated material increased by 43.8%, while it was 57.1％ higher in the UNSM treated hydrogen attacked material than in untreated hydrogen attacked material. The plastic deformation layer was ${\sim}152{\mu}m$ thick, as confirmed by maps showing the level of local plastic deformation affected by the UNSM treatment in three ways: an image quality map, inverse pole figure map, and kernel average misorientation map captured via electron back scatter diffraction. Owing to hydrogen embrittlement, about 90％ of surface cracks were smaller than the average grain size of $35{\mu}m$.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.19 no.8
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• pp.94-103
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• 2020

This study investigated the effects of ultrasonic nanocrystal surface modification (UNSM) on the deteriorated surface of AISI SUS316L additively manufactured (AM) using the powder bed fusion (PBF) technique. Specifically, the effects of UNSM conditions on surface topology, hardness, and anti-corrosion were examined. Before UNSM treatment, the stainless steel 316L powder was processed via the PBF machine to prepare a substrate. We observed surface changes due to UNSM treatments in PBF SUS316L substrates and examined the correlation between topology changes, roughness, hardness, and anti-corrosion. After UNSM treatment, the coarse as-built surface was refined, and a regular micro-profile was implemented. Compared to the non-treated PBF sample, the waviness and roughness of the surfaces after UNSM treatment decreased by up to 56.0% and 94.5%, respectively, and decreased further as the interval decreased. The hardness improved by up to 63.0% at a maximum depth of 500 ㎛ from top surface by the UNSM treatment. The results of the corrosion test showed that the corrosion resistance of the UNSM specimens was moderately improved compared to that of the untreated surface. This study confirmed that UNSM is an effective post-processing technique for additively manufactured parts.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.56-61
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• 2015

In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of an ultrasonic nanocrystal surface modification (UNSM) technique on the mechanical and wear properties of tungsten carbide (WC). The UNSM technique is a newly developed surface modification technique that increases the mechanical properties of materials by severe plastic deformation. The objective of this study was to improve the wear resistance of press die made of WC by applying the UNSM technique. We observed the microstructures of the untreated and UNSM-treated specimens using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) was used to investigate the chemical composition. The SEM observations showed the pore size and the number of pores decreased after the UNSM treatment. We assessed the wear behavior of both the untreated and UNSM-treated specimens using a scratch test. The test results showed that the wear resistance of the UNSM-treated specimens increased by about 46% compared with the untreated specimens. This may be attributed to increased hardness, reduced surface roughness, induced compressive residual stress, and refined grain size following the application of the UNSM technique. In addition, we found that the UNSM treatment increased the carbon concentration to 63% from 33%. We expect that implementing the findings of this study will lead to an increase in the life of press dies.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.176-182
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• 2019

The primary objective of this study is to treat a monocrystalline silicon (Si) wafer having a thickness of $279{\mu}m$ by employing the ultrasonic nanocrystal surface modification (UNSM) technology for improving the efficiency and service life of nano-electromechanical systems (NEMSs) and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMSs) by enhancing of wear and corrosion resistances. The wear and corrosion resistances of the Si wafer were systematically investigated before and after UNSM treatment, wherein abrasive, oxidative and spalling wear mechanisms were applied to the as-received and subsequently UNSM-treated Si wafer. Compared to the asreceived state, the wear and corrosion resistances of the UNSM-treated Si wafer are found to be enhanced by about 23% and 14%, respectively. The enhancement in wear and corrosion resistances after UNSM treatment may be attributed to grain size refinement (confirmed by Raman spectroscopy) and modified surface integrity. Furthermore, it is observed that the Raman intensity reduced significantly after UNSM treatment, whereas neither the Raman shift nor new phases were found on the surface of the UNSM-treated Si wafer. In addition, the friction coefficient values of the as-received and UNSM-treated Si wafers are found to be about 0.54 and 0.39, respectively. Hence, UNSM technology can be effectively incorporated as an alternative mechanical surface treatment for NEMSs and MEMSs comprising Si wafers.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.49-55
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• 2011

In order to analyze feasibility of replacing a conventional 6-mm Ti bar with a 5-mm bar, a series of rotating bending fatigue tests were carried out on Ti-6Al-4V bars by strengthening the fatigue performance using a special technique called UNSM (Ultrasonic Nanocrystal Surface Modification). The results of S-N curves clearly showed that the performance of the 5-mm titanium specimen was similar to that of the 6-mm specimen when the UNSM treatment was applied. The 5-mm treated specimen converged with small scattering band into the linear line of the non-treated 6-mm one. Below the fatigue life of $10^5$ cycles, the UNSM treatment did not show any significant superiority in the bending stress and fatigue life. However, over the fatigue life of $10^5$ cycles, the effect of UNSM was superior for each fatigue life, and the bending stress became longer and higher than that of the untreated one. In the case of 6-mm Ti-bar with UNSM, the fatigue limit was about 592 MPa, and there was fatigue strength increase of about 30.7% at the fatigue life of $10^4$ cycles compared to the untreated 6-mm bar. Therefore, the compressive residual stress made by the UNSM in Ti-6Al-4V increased the fatigue strength by more than 30%.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.443-449
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• 2012

Nanoskins were fabricated on a Ti-6Al-4V material by carrying out various surface treatments, i.e., deep rolling, laser shot peening, and ultrasonic nanocrystal surface modification (UNSM). These surface treatments are newly developed techniques and are becoming more popular for industrial applications. Fatigue tests were carried out using material test system (MTS); these tests included the axial loading tension-compression fatigue test (R = -1, RT, 5 Hz, sinusoidal wave) and rotating bending fatigue test (R = -1, RT, 3200 rpm). The analysis of the crack initiation pattern in the UNSM-treated material indicated that the crack was interior originating in the axial loading tension-compression cycle, and was surface originating in the bending fatigue test. UNSM treatment significantly improved the fatigue strength for the regime of above $10^6$ cycles that S-N curve of rotating bending stress clearly show the performance of a 5 mm titanium specimen after UNSM treatment is similar to that of an untreated 6 mm titanium specimen.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.157-162
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• 2015

In this study, an ultrasonic nanocrystalline surface modification (UNSM) technique is applied to tungsten carbide-cobalt (WC-Co) to extend the service life of carbide parts used in press mold. The UNSM technique modifies the structure, reduces the surface roughness, increases the surface hardness, induces the compressive residual stress, and increases the wear resistance of materials by introducing severe plastic deformation. The surface roughness, hardness, and compressive residual stress of WC after UNSM treatment improve by about 42, 10, and 71%, respectively. A wear test under dry conditions is used to assess the effectiveness of the UNSM technique on the friction and wear behavior of WC. The UNSM technique is found to reduce the WC friction coefficient by approximately 21% and enhance the wear resistance by approximately 85%. The improved friction and wear behavior of WC may be mainly attributed to the increased hardness and compressive residual stress. Moreover, the WC specimen is treated by UNSM technique using three different WC, silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) and stainless steel (STS304) balls. The surface treated by WC balls shows the highest hardness when compared with treatment by stainless steel and silicon nitride balls. According to the obtained results, the UNSM technique is believed to increase the durability of the carbide component by improving the friction and wear behavior.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.170-178
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• 2022

Mechanical surface treatment is an excellent approach widely used to modulate and improve the performance and service life of bearings, gears, and frictional joints. The main purpose of this study is to investigate and compare the effect of ultrasonic nanocrystal surface modification (UNSM) and wonder process craft (WPC) on the surface and tribological properties of SUJ2 bearing steel. The surface roughness and hardness of the untreated and treated (UNSM- and WPC-treated) specimens were measured and compared. Their tribological properties were evaluated using a micro-tribometer under grease-lubricated and dry conditions against itself. Surface hardness measurement results revealed that both the UNSM- and WPC-treated specimens had a higher hardness than that of the untreated specimen. The surface roughness of the untreated specimen was reduced after UNSM and WPC treatments. Abrasive wear mode was observed on the surface of the specimens worn under grease-lubricated conditions, while adhesive wear mode was found on the surface of the specimens worn in dry conditions. According to the tribological test results, the friction coefficient and wear rate of the untreated specimens were reduced by the application of both the UNSM and WPC treatments under grease-lubricated and dry conditions.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Technology Engineers
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.380-385
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• 2016

Railway tracks are repeatedly overstressed and damaged owing to increase in passing tonnage and numerous contact cycles between wheels of train and rails. In order to ensure safe train operation, heat-treated rails are used in addition to regular inspection and maintenance of these rails. Normal rails were treated using ultrasonic nanocrystal surface modification (UNSM) to strengthen the surface of rails. A few changes in surface properties were detected with respect to hardness and compressive residual stress after UNSM treatment. Wear and rolling contact fatigue tests were performed using rails whose surfaces were hardened by UNSM and heat-treated rails. The amount of wear and fatigue life cycles were measured to estimate the effect of UNSM on the rail material. The material of the surfacehardened rail showed improved wear and rolling contact fatigue properties.