Wear characteristic of in situ synthetic TiB2 particulate-reinforced Al matrix composite formed by laser cladding

In order to improve the wear resistance of an aluminum alloy, an in situ synthesized TiB2 particulate-reinforced metal matrix composite coating was formed on a 2024 aluminum alloy by laser cladding with a powder mixture of Fe-coated boron, Ti and Al was successfully achieved using a 3-kW CW CO2 laser. The chemical composition, microstructure and phase structure of the composite clad coating were analyzed by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), SEM, TEM and XRD. The nanohardness and the elastic modulus of the phases of the coating have been examined. The dry sliding wear behaviour of the coating was investigated using a pin-on-ring machine under four loads, namely 8.9, 17.8, 26.7, and 35.6 N. It has been found that the wear characteristics of cladding were completely dependent on the content and morphology of the TiB2 particulate and intermetallic in the microstructure and the applied load. At the lowest load (8.9 N), with increasing content of TiB2 particulate and intermetallic, the wear weight loss of the laser cladding was decreased. At higher loads (17.8, 26.7, and 35.5 N), the 2024 Al alloy exhibited superior wear resistance to the particle-reinforced metal matrix composite cladding.