Laser Powder Cladding of Ti-6Al-4V α/β Alloy

• Published in: Materials Vol. 10; no. 10; p. 1178
• Main Authors: Al-Sayed Ali, Samar Reda, Hussein, Abdel Hamid Ahmed, Nofal, Adel Abdel Menam Saleh, Hasseb Elnaby, Salah Elden Ibrahim, Elgazzar, Haytham Abdelrafea, Sabour, Hassan Abdel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 15.10.2017; MDPI
• Subjects: Abrasion resistant alloys; co-axial laser cladding process; Continuous radiation; Laser beam cladding; laser surface treatment; Lasers; Mechanical properties; Microhardness; Neodymium base alloys; Nickel base alloys; Semiconductor lasers; Titanium alloys; Titanium base alloys; Tungsten base alloys; Tungsten carbide; Wear resistance; X-ray diffraction; YAG lasers; microhardness; co-axial laser cladding process; laser surface treatment; titanium alloys; wear resistance
• DOI: 10.3390/ma10101178
• ISSN: 1996-1944

Laser cladding process was performed on a commercial Ti-6Al-4V (α + β) titanium alloy by means of tungsten carbide-nickel based alloy powder blend. Nd:YAG laser with a 2.2-KW continuous wave was used with coaxial jet nozzle coupled with a standard powder feeding system. Four-track deposition of a blended powder consisting of 60 wt % tungsten carbide (WC) and 40 wt % NiCrBSi was successfully made on the alloy. The high content of the hard WC particles is intended to enhance the abrasion resistance of the titanium alloy. The goal was to create a uniform distribution of hard WC particles that is crack-free and nonporous to enhance the wear resistance of such alloy. This was achieved by changing the laser cladding parameters to reach the optimum conditions for favorable mechanical properties. The laser cladding samples were subjected to thorough microstructure examinations, microhardness and abrasion tests. Phase identification was obtained by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The obtained results revealed that the best clad layers were achieved at a specific heat input value of 59.5 J·mm . An increase by more than three folds in the microhardness values of the clad layers was achieved and the wear resistance was improved by values reaching 400 times.