Laser surface engineered TiC coating on 6061 Al alloy: microstructure and wear

Hard and refractory TiC has been deposited on 6061 Al alloy by Laser Surface Engineering LSE.. A ‘‘composite’’ coating is obtained with TiC particles of various shapes and sizes embedded in Al alloy–Ti matrix. The coating is uniform, continuous and free of cracks. The various reactions occurring during laser processing were thermodynamically analyzed and related to the experimental observations. Microhardness measurements suggested high hardness values in the coating region and a strong bonding at the coatingrsubstrate interface. Dry sliding wear tests were performed to measure the wear resistance and the coefficient of friction of the coating. Wear resistance of the coated surface was found to be high when compared to the substrate side. The coefficient of friction was found to be 0.64. q2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.