Effects of Ni-Ti Content on Mechanical Properties of Laser Cladding A100-(Ni-Ti) Coatings

Among many methods to enhance the crack resistance of laser cladding coatings, adjusting the composition of laser cladding material is the most simple, feasible, and effective method. To improve the plastic toughness and crack resistance of A100 laser cladding coating, Ni and Ti powders of an equal molar ratio were added to A100 powder as laser cladding powder. Laser cladding technology prepared A100-(Ni-Ti) coatings without crack defects. The cladding coatings’ phase composition and microstructure were analyzed using XRD and SEM, respectively. A ring-block friction and wear tester tested the wear resistance of the A100-(Ni-Ti) cladding coatings. A100-(Ni-Ti) cladding coatings mainly contain martensite and austenite. The elements Ni and Ti are distributed primarily in the austenitic phase region. The results show that adding Ni and Ti elements can reduce the microhardness of A100 cladding coatings. The average microhardness of the A100-0%(Ni-Ti) cladding coating is 532.50 HV, and the average microhardness of the A100-10%(Ni-Ti) cladding coating is 430.99 HV, while the average microhardness of the A100-30%(Ni-Ti) cladding coating is only 307.49 HV. The wear surface of the A100-10%(Ni-Ti) cladding mainly shows pits and a small amount of adhesive wear. The A100-20%(Ni-Ti) and A100-30%(Ni-Ti) cladding coatings show severe adhesive wear. The A100-10%(Ni-Ti) cladding with high microhardness and good run-in performance exhibits the best wear resistance.