Microstructure and wear characteristic of hard and wear resistance TiC coating deposited on aluminium by tungsten inert gas (TIG) cladding process

Abstract

A layer of TiC coating has been deposited on commercially pure aluminium by tungsten inert gas (TIG) cladding process. Microscopic image of the TIG-cladded aluminium substrate shows crack and defects free uniform deposition of TiC layer on the substrate. The XRD analysis confirms the presence of TiC on the coated surface without formation of any other intermetallic phases. Micro-hardness measured at the coating cross-section revealed a substantial improvement in the hardness value than that of as-received aluminium substrate. The investigation also revealed that increasing the processing current enhances the coating thickness significantly by compromising the average micro-hardness value marginally, which is attributed to dilution of TiC layer with the substrate material. The sliding wear test of the TiC-coated aluminium specimen performed against hardened steel disc (HRC 58) through a pin-on-disc arrangement shows a significant augmentation in the wear resistance property of the coating surface than that of as-received aluminium substrate.