Tribocorrosion characteristics of laser deposited Ti-Ni-ZrO2 composite coatings on AISI 316 stainless steel

The tribocorrosion characteristics of laser deposited titanium-nickel-zirconia composite coatings onto AISI 316 substrates have been investigated. Feedstock powders were blended at varying compositions and deposited onto AISI 316 using Nd:YAG high power laser beam at varying scan speeds. The relationships between laser speed, structure and tribocorrosion properties of the synthesised composite coatings were studied. The corrosion and tribocorrosion behaviour of the coatings was studied in 1 M H2SO4 solution using a potentiodynamic polarisation technique. The coatings displayed fine and slightly porous structures with relatively well dispersed constituent elements. The Ti-Ni coatings deposited under 0.0067 m/s had the highest corrosion resistance while addition of 5% zirconia to the Ti-Ni coatings significantly improved its tribocorrosion resistance.