Microstructure and Property of In-Situ TiC Reinforced Co-Based Composite Coatings by Laser Cladding

Abstract

In order to improve the wear resistance of Co-based alloy coatings, in-situ TiC reinforced Co-based composite coatings were prepared on 45 steel surface by laser cladding Co-based alloy, Ti and C powders. The effect of (Ti + C) addition on the microstructure and wear resistance of in-situ TiC reinforced Co-based composite coatings was investigated systematically. The results showed that TiC and Co3Ti phases were detected in the in-situ TiC reinforced Co-based composite coatings, besides γ-Co and Cr23C6. The in-situ TiC reinforced Co-based composite coatings was mainly composed of planar crystals in the binding zone, dendrites in the bottom and equiaxed crystals in the upper. With the increase of (Ti + C) addition, the number of short rod-like dendrites and equiaxed crystals was gradually increased, the microstructure was more fine and uniform. The microhardness of the composite coatings was improved gradually, and the maximum improvement in the microhardness was 35.7%, for 30.0 wt.% (Ti + C) addition. The mass loss of the composite coatings was firstly reduced and then increased, the lowest value was 10.5 mg for 20.0 wt.% (Ti + C) addition, which was 59.7% of that of Co-based alloy coatings, and the wear mechanism of the composite coatings after adding (Ti + C) was the abrasive wear. These results indicated that adding (Ti + C) had a significant influence on the properties of the composite coatings, and were consistent with the calculated results of applied multivariate statistical analysis.