Properties and Tribologic Behavior of Titanium Carbide Coatings on AISI D2 Steel Deposited by Thermoreactive Diffusion

In the present study, the metallographic, mechanical and tribologic behaviors of AISI D2 steel specimens coated with TiC through the titanizing process were investigated. The titanizing treatment was performed at the temperatures of 900°C, 1000°C or 1100°C for 1 h, 2 h or 3 h using a solid-state box thermoreactive diffusion technique. In all cases, the predominant phase in the coating was TiC, but the mechanical properties of the coating varied with treatment condition. The wear resistance of the coated samples against a linear reciprocating Al2O3 ball improved as the hardness and thickness of the coating increased. The effective wear mechanism of samples that had been treated at 900°C, 1000°C and 1100°C were severe plastic deformation, delamination and polishing type wear, respectively. The wear performance was affected by coating layer’s thickness and uniformity as well as its surface hardness, elastic modulus and toughness.