The impact characteristics of Ti–6Al–4V plates hardfacing by laser alloying NiAl+ZrO2 powder

This investigation considers the alloying of NiAl powders, with 0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 wt.% of ZrO2 added, by the CO2 laser upon Ti–6Al–4V base metals. Trial experiments are performed to obtain the optimum thickness of the powder, 0.1 mm, and the transverse speed, 1 mm/s, upon which the hardfacing process was based. The microstructures of the alloying layers were analyzed by OM, X-ray spectroscopy and SEM/EDS. The mechanical properties of the alloying layers were analyzed by micro-hardness and impact tests. The results indicated that the microstructure of the hardfacing layer was finer and its micro-hardness was higher than those of the base material. During the hardfacing process, NiAl and ZrO2 powder were dissolved in a molten pool, reacted with other elements, and new phases were then formed. Impact tests revealed that the absorption of the vibration increased as the ZrO2 added.