Microstructure and mechanical properties of (B₄C+TiC+TiB)/Ti6Al4V composites fabricated via laser melting deposition

Abstract

To enhance the wear resistance and tensile properties of Ti6Al4V alloys, (B₄C+ TiC+TiB)-reinforced titanium-matrix composites (TMCs) were fabricated via laser melting deposition. Composites reinforced with 2% (TMC1), 5% (TMC2), and 10% (TMC3) B₄C powder (by volume) were developed. They consisted of α-Ti, β-Ti, undissolved B₄C, and in situ-formed (TiC+TiB) phases. TMC1 exhibited a network microstructure that disappeared as the B₄C content increased, resulting in a greater presence of undissolved B₄C particles and in situ ceramic phases. The Ti6Al4V matrix, used as a reference, exhibited an average microhardness of 352.79 HV_0.5 and a wear rate of 1.361 2×10^‒3 mm³/(N·m). In comparison, TMC1–TMC3 demonstrated progressively increasing microhardness values of 451.19 HV_0.5, 498.88 HV_0.5, and 541.13 HV_0.5, respectively, attributed to the increasing content of hard ceramic reinforcements. TMC1 and TMC2 also exhibited reduced wear rates of 7.892×10^‒4 and 6.513×10^‒4 mm³/(N·m), respectively, while TMC3 exhibited a higher wear rate (1.563×10^‒3 mm³/(N·m)) than the matrix, owing to secondary abrasion caused by particle detachment. Among the composites, TMC1 demonstrated the highest ultimate tensile strength of (1 246 ± 25.8) MPa, which exceeded that of the Ti6Al4V matrix by 14.49%, and an elongation of 0.9% ± 0.6%, which exceeded that of TMC2 and TMC3. The enhancement in mechanical performance was attributed to the synergistic effects of dispersion strengthening, grain-refinement strengthening, and solid-solution strengthening.

Keywords

Laser melting deposition (LMD) / Composites / B₄C / In situ-reinforced phases / Microstructure / Mechanical properties

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Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China(52205343)

Aeronautical Science Foundation of China(2022Z0550P6001)

Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities

Open Project of State Key Laboratory of Mechanical Transmission for Advanced Equipment (SKLMT-MSKFKT-202217)

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Shanghai University and Periodicals Agency of Shanghai University and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature