Laser surface engineering of titanium carbide composite coating on aluminum alloy

In the present study, Laser Surface Engineering (LSE) technique was employed to deposit hard and refractory TiC on a light metal 6061 A1 alloy. The coating is "composite" in nature with TiC particles embedded in a Al-Ti matrix. The coating is continuous, uniform and free of cracks. Such a coating has been characterized to evaluate microstructural properties, mechanical properties, tribological properties and high temperature oxidation behavior. The strain energy release rate, G_ss, and the stress intensity factor, K_c, were computed for this particular coating/substrate system. These measurements provide information on the mechanical performance and integrity of the interface between the metal and the ceramic. Observations on the oxidation behavior of TiC coating on 6061 A1 are discussed in this study. The kinetics of oxidation for the samples of various precursor thickness of the coating are also discussed.