Effect of nickel-based laser coatings on phase composition and corrosion behaviour of titanium alloy for offshore application

Abstract Recent advances in titanium alloy applications in the offshore industry have been realized through the development of laser surface modification technique. The distinctive outcome of this technique has provided increase in the utilization of titanium in offshore drilling risers for special drilling operations and various subsea and tubing applications. In this work, surface mitigation and corrosion degradation of titanium alloy in aggressive sulfuric acid were investigated using electrochemical technique (linear potentiodynamic polarization) while the surface characterization (morphology) and phases of the resultant coatings were analyzed using X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Prior to that, laser surface technique was used to fabricate Nickel-based powder on the substrate (Ti-6Al-4V). Results revealed that laser clad sample with high scan speed was more effective in improving the corrosion resistance compared to low scan speed. The enhanced corrosion resistance with high laser scan speed has been attributed to the presence of hard intermetallic compounds in the metallic coating.