Laser Cladded TiCN Coatings on the Surface of Titanium

Laser cladded coatings of TiCN were produced on the surface of titanium. To obtain the optimal techniques, several conditions were tested by varying the laser scanning rate. The choice of shielding gas was also studied. The cladded coatings were then evaluated from the surface mechanics point of view based on their microhardness. The microstructure of some interesting samples was investigated by optical micrographs (OM). The results showed that under the condition of fixed pulse frequency and pulse width, the laser scanning rate and the shielding gas are the main factors influencing the components of coatings. TiCN coatings were decompounded and oxidized during the cladding process in the condition of no shielding gas of N2. X-ray diffraction results indicated that the composite coatings composed of TiCN, TiC, Ti2N, and TiO2 were produced using appropriate techniques. The results indicated that the best condition in terms of the surface microhardness is obtained when the scanning rate is 1.5mm/s, the pulse frequency is 15Hz, the pulse width is 3.0ms, and N2 is chosen as the shielding gas. The microhardness of the composite coatings is about 1331kg · mm−2, which is about 4 times that of the substrate. The optical micrographs indicated that the cladding zone is made up of TiCN, TiO2, and some interdendritic Ti, but the diffusion zone mainly consists of the dendrites phase, and the cladded depth is about 80μm, which is more than 2 times that of the laser nitrided sample. There were no microcracks or air bubbles in the cladded sample, which was cladded using the above optimal techniques.