Laser surface hardening of titanium–titanium boride (Ti–TiB) metal matrix composite

A study of modification of titanium boride (TiB) whisker distribution on the surfaces of titanium–titanium boride (Ti–TiB) composites was performed using laser surface treatment. A surprising finding is that a substantial increase in surface hardness to 1055 VHN, relative to 513 VHN for the untreated material occurred with a laser energy input of above 70 kJ m−1. This corresponded to a substantial increase in surface volume fraction of TiB whiskers to about 67%, at such high energies.