Microstructural characterization of titanium matrix composite coatings reinforced by in situ synthesized TiB + TiC fabricated on Ti6Al4V by laser cladding

Titanium-based composite coatings reinforced by in situ synthesized TiB and TiC particles between titanium and B4C were successfully fabricated on Ti6Al4V by laser cladding. Phase constituents of the coatings were predicted by thermodynamic calculations in the Ti-B4C-Al and Ti-B-C-Al systems, respectively, and were validated well by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis results. Microstructural and metallographic analyses were made by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA). The results show that the coatings are mainly composed of α-Ti cellular dendrites and the eutecticum in which a large number of needle-shaped TiB and a few equiaxial TiC particles are embedded. C is enriched in α-Ti cellular dendrites and far exceeds the theoretical maximum dissolubility, owing to the extension of saturation during laser cladding. The coatings have a good metallurgical bond with the substrate due to the existence of the dilution zone, in which a great amount of lamella β-Ti grains consisting of a thin needle-shaped martensitic microstructure are present and grow parallel to the heat flux direction; a few TiB and TiC reinforcements are observed at the boundaries of initial β-Ti grains.