TiC-Reinforced Austenitic Stainless Steel Laser Cladding Layer on 27SiMn Steel Surface: A Comparative Study of Microstructure, Corrosion, Hardness, and Wear Performance

Abstract

TiC particles were used as the ceramic reinforcement phase in this study, and laser cladding was used to create the reinforced austenitic stainless steel cladding layer. The effects of TiC content on the cladding layer's microstructure, hardness, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance were investigated using XRD, SEM, EDS, an electrochemical workstation, a microhardness tester, and a friction and wear tester. The friction and wear properties of the austenitic matrix composite cladding layer under dry friction and emulsion lubrication were investigated, and the microstructure and corrosion wear behavior of the cladding layer were emphatically revealed. The results demonstrate that the austenite-based cladding layer is primarily made up of austenite, TiC, and a trace of Cr₂₃C₆ phase. As TiC content increases, the cladding layer’s microstructure shifts from dendritic and petal-like eutectic to block and spherical. The corrosion data reveal that the cladding layer’s corrosion resistance drops first and subsequently increases, depending on the amount of TiC melting and the degree of intergranular corrosion generated by it. The inclusion of TiC increases the cladding layer’s hardness and wear resistance. The wear rate of the 20-TiC cladding layer is lowered by 76.34% under dry friction and 89.49% under emulsion lubrication. The wear mechanism of the 60-TiC cladding layer under dry friction is adhesive wear, but the wear mechanism with emulsion lubrication is abrasive wear, with much greater wear resistance. The study’s findings can be used as an experimental reference to increase the application of stainless steel under corrosive wear conditions.