Microhardness and wear behaviour of surface modified Ti6Al4V/Zr-TiC metal matrix composite for advanced material

Abstract

Surface modification of titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) was made using a Rofin Sinar 4 kW Nd: YAG laser. A laser multi-track 50% overlapping process was employed to produce Zr and Zr-TiC metal matrix composite (MMC) coatings on Ti6Al4V substrate. The beam diameter was set at 4 mm. The microstructures of fabricated composites consist of homogeneous distribution of TiC particles which were free of cracks with x-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses indicating formation of interstitial carbides. Multilayer cladding involved Ti6Al4V + (100%Zr) and Ti6Al4V + (Zr+TiC) MMCs fabricated with 10, 20, 30 and 40 %TiC. Multiple track deposited samples revealed microhardness improvement as high as 1048.7 HV for 60%Zr+40%TiC MMC and the least hardness displayed is 606.6 HV for 90%Zr+10%TiC MMC. The wear result showed that the developed MMCs have low wear rate as compared to the substrate.