Comparative study on tribology and microhardness of laser synthesized Ti-Al2O3/Zn coatings on Ti-6Al-4V alloy

ABSTRACT The study of laser cladding of 90Ti-10Al2O3, 90Ti-8Al2O3-2Zn and 90Ti-4Al2O3-6Zn coatings onto Ti-6Al-4V alloy, with intention to produce defect-less, high microhardness and wear resistant coating was carried out. The coatings were deposited onto Ti-6Al-4V alloy at 900 W laser power and 0.6 m/min laser scan speed. Microstructures and phase constituents of the developed coatings were investigated by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffractometer correspondingly. Vickers microhardness tester and pin-on-disk tribometer were employed to characterize microhardness and wear behaviour of the Ti-Al2O3/Zn coatings respectively. SEM was also used to examine the worn track. It was observed that 90Ti-10Al2O3 coating yielded optimal microhardness along with maximal wear resistance in comparison to the other coatings and Ti-6Al-4V alloy. It has been established that laser cladding of Ti-Al2O3 coating with Zn contents on Ti-6Al-4V alloy alleviates the formation of cracks, however, microhardness and wear properties are negatively affected.