Enrichment of in-situ synthesized WC by partial dissolution of ex-situ eutectoid-structured WC/W2C particle in the coatings produced by laser hot-wire deposition

Abstract A novel additive manufacturing method for fabricating Ni/WC composite coatings by laser hot-wire deposition was proposed. Finely dispersed WC particles were successfully in-situ synthesized by partially dissolution of the ex-situ eutectoid-structured WC/W2C particles during laser deposition. Under the combination effect of the high-volume fraction of ex-situ particles and in-situ synthesized reinforcements, the coating hardness and wear resistance was improved to about 3.5 times and 45 times more than that of substrate.