Numerical modeling and experimental investigation of TiC formation on titanium surface pre-coated by graphite under pulsed laser irradiation

► A numerical model for carbonizing titanium surface by pulsed laser is developed. ► Higher pulse durations lead to significant increasing in the microhardness value. ► The hardness values of the processed layer increased up to 10 times of the Ti. ► The maximum microhardness of the layer experimentally obtained is 1717 Hv.