Tribological behaviour of TiB₂ ceramic based composite coating deposited on stainless steel AISI 304 by gas tungsten arc (GTA) cladding process

Abstract

In this study, Titanium (Ti)-Titanium diboride (TiB2) metal matrix composite (MMC) cladding layers were fabricated on an AISI 304 stainless steel substrate by the gas tungsten arc (GTA) cladding process. The composite cladding layer was produced using different powder mixtures: 85wt.% TiB2-15wt.% Ti, 75wt.% TiB2-25wt.% Ti, and 65wt.% TiB2 -35wt.% Ti. During cladding, the GTA process currents were used in the range of 70A to 90 A with 10A interval differences and the scan speed in the range of 1.1 mm/sec to 1.9 mm/sec with 0.4 mm/sec interval differences. All samples were investigated for mechanical properties, microstructure, and phase analysis by Vickers microhardness, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) respectively. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) findings indicate that the composite coatings consist of TiB2, TiB, Ti, Fe3C, B4C, and NiTi phases. The presence of elements B, C, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, and Ni in the coating was confirmed by X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX). The maximum microhardness value of the composite coating was enhanced in the range of 1639 HV0.1 to 3781 HV0.1, whereas the microhardness of the AISI 304 stainless steel substrate was 194 HV0.1. The average wear rate of the coated samples was determined in the range of 11.09×10-9 g/N-m to 27.63×10-9 g/N-m, whereas the average wear rate of the AISI 304 steel substrate was 88.414×10-9 g/N-m. It can be concluded that the maximum micro-hardness of the composite coating increased by 9-19 times than that of the nominal substrate (AISI 304 stainless steel). Also, the wear resistance of the composite coating enhanced by 8 times as compared to AISI 304 steel substrate. It is demonstrated in this study that the processing current, TiB2 content, and scanning speed have significant effect on the microstructure, mechanical, and tribological features of the cladding layers .

Effect of cobalt addition on wear behaviour of TiB2 coating produced by TIG cladding process

“…The result revealed that the bright area is 40.4 wt% Fe-rich whereas the dark area is 22.3 wt% Ti-rich and B-rich (20.9 wt%). Kumar et al [35] presented a similar pattern illustrating the dark phase. The dispersion of 5.0 wt% Ni and 10.7 wt% Cr is probably detected in grey hazy region.…”

Advancing Surface Hardness and Wear Resistance: Microwave-Assisted Cladding of Ni-TiC Mixture onto SS-304

“…Its remarkable strength, durability, and formability make it indispensable in construction, manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, and infrastructure sectors [1][2][3]. In construction, steel is widely used for structural frameworks, bridges, and high-rise buildings due to its load-bearing capacity and resistance to corrosion [4][5][6][7]. In manufacturing, steel serves as a crucial material for machinery, equipment, tools, and appliances due to its machinability and toughness.…”

Effect of rare earth oxide (Y2O3) addition on wear characteristic of TiB2 ceramic reinforced Mo-based composite coating fabricated by Argon shielded Arc cladding

“…Coating technology is a type of surface engineering process that can protect the substrate from wear, thus improving the durability of the substrate material [3]. Various types of surface coating technologies are available, including plasma transfer arc (PTA) cladding [4], electron beam cladding (EBC) process [5], thermal spray coating [6], laser cladding [7], and argon shielded arc cladding, which is commonly used for fabricating the clad layer on the surface of the substrate material [8].…”