Microstructure and tribological properties of laser cladding Fe-based coating on pure Ti substrate

Abstract

Fe-based coating was produced on pure Ti substrate by the laser cladding technology. The composition and microstructure of the fabricated coating were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) technique. The tribological properties were tested through sliding against AISI52100 steel ball at different normal loads and sliding speeds. Besides, the morphologies of the worn surfaces and wear debris were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and three dimensional (3D) non-contact surface mapping. The results show that the prepared Fe-based coating has a high hardness of about 860 HV0.2 and exhibits an average wear rate of (0.70–2.32)×10−6 mm3/(N·m), showing that the Fe-based coating can greatly improve the wear resistance of pure Ti substrate. The wear mechanism of the coating involves moderate adhesive and abrasive wear.