Effects of TiC particles on tribological and corrosion resistance of PEO coating on TC4 alloy

Abstract

To improve wear resistance and corrosion behavior of TC4 alloy, plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) was performed in a TiC particle containing electrolyte. Results show that increasing PEO current density is conducive to improving the coating thickness, promoting incorporation of TiC particles, and enhancing wear resistance of the coating. While increasing TiC content in electrolyte reduces PEO coating thickness. Under the optimized condition, where the electrolyte has 2 g L⁻¹ TiC and PEO current density is 5 A dm⁻², the derived PEO coating exhibits both high wear resistance and corrosion resistance. Moreover, it is shown that the incorporated TiC particles are more likely to become components in the inner layer of the derived MAO coating.