Effect of TiC content on microstructure and properties of TiC/Ni60 coatings on Ti6Al4V alloy deposited by laser cladding

In this study, the composite coatings on Ti6Al4V alloy are fabricated with TiC and Ni60 mixture powders by laser cladding. The effect of TiC content on microstructure and properties of the coatings is investigated. Many TiC particles in large size are randomly distributed in the coatings. The coatings mainly contain TiC. TiC, TiCx, Ti2Ni, TiNi, TiB, CrxB and Ti phase identified by XRD. The feature of the precipitates in the coatings is various due to different TiC. The forms of the precipitates are changed in the coatings with increasing the TiC content. The wear resistance of the coatings decreases with increasing the TiC content. Numerous plowing grooves with the debris particles and white scaly patterns are found in the sliding direction. With increasing the TiC content, the bending strength of the samples decreases. The brittle fracture feature are shown on the fracture surface of the coatings.