Synergistic modification of TC17 titanium alloy by ultrasonic cavitation and micro-abrasives: Mechanisms, microstructural refinement, and surface property enhancement

The surface properties of titanium alloys critically determine their performance in aerospace and advanced engineering applications. Here, we propose a novel surface modification strategy by integrating ultrasonic cavitation with silicon carbide (SiC) micro-abrasives to enhance the surface integrity of TC17 titanium alloy. Theoretical analysis indicates that SiC particles act as effective cavitation nucleation sites, with their size governing both heterogeneous nucleation rates and kinetic energy transfer during cavitation-induced impacts. An experimental platform was established to investigate the influence of ultrasonic cavitation and SiC abrasives of varying sizes (34.7 μm, 13.4 μm, and 6.5 μm). Results reveal that cavitation-abrasive synergy significantly modifies surface morphology and wettability, accompanied by notable mechanical property enhancements. Surface microhardness increased from 375.9 Hv to 454.2 Hv (20.8% improvement), while compressive residual stress reached -693.1 MPa. The average phase width decreases to 0.326 μm when relatively larger abrasives are used, indicating a more distinct phase refinement. The strengthening effect exhibited strong dependence on abrasive size, with larger particles inducing more severe plastic deformation due to their higher impact energy. Overall, this study clarifies the mechanistic role of micro-abrasives in cavitation-assisted modification and establishes an effective pathway for tailoring titanium alloy surfaces in high-performance applications.