Investigation of In situ Cu-TiB2 Composite on the Copper Using Laser Melting Synthesis

A surface composite layer reinforced with TiB₂ particles was produced on copper by use of the laser remelting in situ synthesis. The microstructure, electrical conductivity, and sliding wear behavior of the in situ Cu-TiB₂ composite were investigated. The experimental results show that the size of reinforcing TiB₂ particles is about 800 nm and the microhardness of composite layer reaches HV 210. Although the electrical conductivity of the composite layer is reduced with increasing TiB₂ volume fraction, the decrease of the integrated conductivity of the samples containing composite layer and copper substrate is insignificant. The wear resistance of composite layer is 10 times better than that of the copper sample.