Microstructures of titanium-aluminides produced by laser surface alloying

The microstructures of Ti-Al layers (from 43–80 at %Al) produced by laser surface alloying of titanium substrate with a powder feed technique have been investigated. The laser processing parameters were; 1.8 kW laser power, 3 mm beam diameter, 7 mm s^–1 traverse speed, and values of powder flow rates of aluminium ranging from 0.07–0.11 g s^–1. The microstructures were dendrites of ₂ and interdendritic regions of ₂+ in the Ti-43 at %Al alloy; dendrites of either ₂ or ₂+ with interdendritic in the Ti-50 at %Al alloy; dendrites of ₂+ with interdendritic in the Ti-55 at %Al alloy; single phase in the Ti-60 at %Al alloy and TiAl₃ dendrites and Al solid solution in the interdendritic regions in the Ti-80 at %Al alloy. The microstructures were fine and comparable to those produced by other methods of rapid solidification processing. The microstructures of the Ti-50 and Ti-55 at %Al alloys were in agreement with the existence of the peritectic reactions:L + andL + , in the Ti-Al system.