Effects of Aluminum Addition on Microstructure and Properties of TiC-TiB(2)/Fe Coatings In Situ Synthesized by TIG Cladding

This study focuses on the synthesis of TiC-TiB(2)/Fe coatings with varying amounts of aluminum (Al) using tungsten inert gas (TIG) cladding and investigates the impact of Al addition on microstructure refinement and performance enhancement of the coatings. The coatings were prepared on a mild steel substrate using TIG cladding. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed the presence of TiC, TiB(2), Al(x)Ti, and Al(x)Fe phases in the coatings. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed that the addition of Al improved the microstructure, reducing defects and enhancing the distribution of reinforcing phases within the coatings. The particle size of the reinforcing phases was significantly refined by the addition of Al. The micro-hardness of the coatings was significantly higher than that of the substrate, with the maximum micro-hardness of the coating reaching 955.5 ± 50.7 HV0.1, approximately six times that of the substrates. However, excessive Al addition led to a reduction in hardness due to a decrease in the quantity of hard phases. The wear tests showed that all the coatings had lower wear loss compared to the substrate material, with the wear loss initially decreasing and then increasing with the increasing Al content. Samples with a 28.57 wt.% Al addition exhibited the best wear resistance, with approximately 16.8% of the wear volume loss compared to mild steel under the same testing conditions, attributed to the optimal combination of reinforcement phase quantity and matrix properties.