Surface modification of TiAl intermetallic alloys by laser gas alloying

Laser gas alloying with nitrogen was employed to improve the wear resistance of TiAl intermetallic alloys. The rapidly solidified in-situ wear resistant composite material reinforced by hard titanium nitride were successfully fabricated in the laser modified surface layer. The microstructure and hardness of the laser modified surface are governed by the laser processing parameters. Results demonstrate preliminarily that laser gas alloying with nitrogen is a potential promising new surface modification technique for improving the wear resistance of TiAl intermetallic alloys.