Structure and properties of titanium surface layers after electron beam alloying with powder mixtures containing carbon

The structure and tribological properties of commercially pure titanium (cp-Ti) samples after non-vacuum electron beam surface alloying with carbon were studied. Two types of powders were used to introduce carbon in surface layer of cp-Ti: titanium carbide (TiC) and mixture of pure titanium and graphite (“Ti + C”). Single layer and multilayer coatings were studied. Application of electron beam for alloying provided cladding rate of 4.5 m2/h. The thickness of the clad coatings was 1.6-2.0 mm. The main phases received after “Ti + C” powder cladding were α-titanium, TiC, and retained graphite. In the samples obtained by cladding of TiC, graphite was not observed. A factor determining the microhardness and tribological properties of the cladded layer was the volume fraction of TiC. Maximum coating microhardness of 8 GPa was obtained by cladding of single layer of TiC powder or two layers of the “Ti + C” mixture. Two types of tests were carried out to evaluate the wear resistance of the samples. In friction tests against loose abrasive particles, the wear rate of the best samples was 9.3 times lower than that of cp-Ti. In wear tests using fixed abrasive particles, the relative wear resistance of the best samples was 2.3 times higher than that of cp-Ti.