Laser surface coating of Mo–WC metal matrix composite on Ti6Al4V alloy

Laser surface alloying of Mo, WC and Mo–WC powders on the surface of Ti6Al4V alloys using a 2 kW Nd-YAG laser was performed. The dilution effect upon the microstructure, microhardness and wear resistance of the surface metal matrix composite (MMC) coating was investigated. With a constant thickness of pre-placed powder, the dilution levels of the alloyed layers were found to increase with the incident laser power. The fabricated surface MMC layer was metallurgically bonded to the Ti6Al4V substrate. The microhardness of the fabricated surface layer was found to be inversely proportional to the dilution level. The EDAX and XRD spectra results show that new intermetallic compounds and alloy phases were formed in the MMC layer. With the existence of Mo content in the pre-placed powder, the β-phase of Ti in the MMC coating can be retained at the quenching process. With increasing weight percentage content of WC particles in the Mo–WC pre-pasted powder, the microhardness and sliding wear resistance of the laser surface coating were increased by 87% and 150 times, respectively, as compared with the Ti6Al4V alloy. The surface friction of the laser-fabricated MMC coatings was also decreased as compared with the worn Ti6Al4V substrate.