Microstructure, tribological performances, and wear mechanisms of laser-cladded TiC-reinforced NiMo coatings under grease-lubrication condition

Abstract NiMo-5%TiC, NiMo-15%TiC, and NiMo-25%TiC coatings were prepared on GCr15 steel by laser cladding (LC). The microstructure and the phases of the obtained coatings were analyzed using ultra-depth-of-field microscopy (UDFM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. A ball-on-disk wear test was used to analyze the friction-wear performance of the substrate and the NiMo-TiC coatings under grease-lubrication condition. The results show that the grain shape of NiMo-TiC coatings is dendritic. The wear resistance of NiMo-TiC coatings is improved by the addition of TiC, and the depths of the worn tracks on the substrate and on the NiMo-5%TiC, NiMo-15%TiC, and NiMo-25%TiC coatings are 4.183 μm, 2.164 μm, 1.882 μm, and 1.246 μm, respectively, and the corresponding wear rates are 72.25 μm3/s/N, 32.00 μm3/s/N, 18.10 μm3/s/N, and 7.99 μm3/s/N, respectively; this shows that the NiMo-25%TiC coating has the highest wear resistance among the three kinds of coatings. The wear mechanism of NiMo-TiC coatings is abrasive wear, and the addition of TiC plays a role in resisting wear during the friction process.