Synthesis of Titanium Carbide Particle in Laser Melted-pool in situ

Abstract

The titanium carbide phase was synthesized in laser melted-pool in situ as the reinforced particles of nickel based composite coating on Ti-6Al-4V alloy surface using the nickel and graphite blending powder by laser cladding. The microstructure investigation showed that the petals-shaped particles and granular particles were two main morphology of titanium carbide particles. And a few spiral-shaped titanium carbide pattern and eutectic titanium carbide appeared on the cross-sections of the coating. The spiral-shaped titanium carbide pattern composed of some slender arc-shape titanium carbide particles and the eutectic titanium carbide was fine. The morphology and distribution of the spiral-shaped titanium carbide patterns and eutectic titanium carbide confrmed that their growth mechanism was the dissolution-precipitation mechanism and was affected by the convection behavior of the laser melted pool. The spiral-shaped titanium carbide pattern would precipitate out the high-temperature melts under high-speed convection. The eutectic titanium carbide would precipitate out when the melts stopped convection or dropped to eutectic temperature.

Keywords

titanium carbide / composite coating / laser cladding / microstructure / titanium alloy