Laser cladding of ti-6al-4v with bn for improved wear performance

Titanium and its alloys suffer from galling, seizing, ploughing and adhesion during sliding contacts. A laser-cladding method, to enhance the wear performance of titanium, was investigated. A 1.5 kW continuous-wave CO₂ gas laser was used to clad hexagonal BN powder with and without the addition of NiCrCoAlY on a Ti-6Al-4V alloy substrate. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, optical metallography, and Vickers' micro-hardness tests were employed to characterize the clad layers. A pin-on-block reciprocating wear machine was used to evaluate the sliding wear characteristics of age-hardened, laser surface-melted and laser-clad Ti-6Al-4V alloys. Results indicated that the clad layers consisted of TiN, TiB₂, and various alloy phases. Claddings with excellent adhesion and thicknesses up to 600 μm, with a maximum hardness of 1600 HV, were obtained. Wear tests showed a substantial improvement (10–200 times) in wear resistance of claddings over age-hardened and surface-melted layers. The improved wear performance is attributed to the high hardness and low friction properties of clad layers.