Selective laser melting of TiC/2205 duplex stainless steel composites: Influence mechanism of TiC content on microstructure, mechanical properties, and tribological wear behavior

To enhance the wear resistance of duplex stainless steel (DSS), which exhibits excellent mechanical properties and corrosion resistance but poor tribological performance, TiC-reinforced 2205 DSS composites were fabricated via selective laser melting (SLM). The effects of TiC particle content (2, 4, and 6 wt.%) on the microstructure, mechanical properties, tribological behavior, and corrosion resistance of the SLM-produced composites were systematically investigated. Results indicate that increasing TiC content significantly refines the grain size and reduces the austenite fraction. The composites exhibit substantial improvements in microhardness, tensile strength, and wear resistance. While the corrosion tendency decreased, the corrosion rate increased. TiC particles notably altered the grain orientation in both austenite and ferrite phases. The 2205 DSS displays a Rotated Goss ND texture of {110}<110> in austenite and a Cube texture of {001}<100> in ferrite. However, the addition of TiC particles eliminated these preferential orientations and crystallographic textures. The composite with 6 wt.% TiC achieved the most significant enhancements: a 26.22% increase in microhardness, a 37.30% improvement in tensile strength, and a 24.33% reduction in wear rate.