Effect of V content on microstructure and properties of laser-solidified Fe60(NiCrCoTiVx)40 (x = 0, 0.5, 1) multicomponent alloy coatings on AISI 1045 steel

Fe60(NiCrCoTiVx)40 (x = 0, 0.5, 1) multicomponent alloy coatings on low-cost AISI 1045 steel were successfully prepared by laser surface alloying. The effect of V content on microstructure, micro-hardness, wear resistance and corrosion resistance were studied in detail. The Fe60(NiCrCoTiVx)40 (x = 0, 0.5, 1) multicomponent alloy coatings are all composed of a FCC solid solution phase and a BCC solid solution phase with a Fe2Ti-type Laves phase. The lattice parameter of the BCC solid solution phase is not sensitive to V content, but the addition of V leads to the decrease of FCC content and the refinement of Fe2Ti-type Laves phase. The addition of V significantly affects the properties of coatings, and the Fe60(NiCrCoTiV0.5)40 multicomponent alloy coating has higher micro-hardness and better wear resistance while the Fe60(NiCrCoTiV1)40 multicomponent alloy coating has the best corrosion resistance. In addition, the corrosion resistance of Fe60(NiCrCoTiVx)40 (x = 0, 0.5, 1) multicomponent alloy coatings are better than that of the corresponding reference material. The results also indicate that micro-hardness is not the only factor to impose the influence on the wear resistance and the place where corrosion first occurs may be along with the Fe2Ti-type Laves phase.