Microstructure and wear behaviours of laser-clad Cr₁₃ Ni₅Si₂-based metal-silicide coatings on a titanium alloy

Wear-resistant Cr₁₃Ni₅Si₂-based metal-silicide coatings with a microstructure consisting of Cr₁₃Ni₅Si₂ primary dendrites and small amount of interdendritic Cr₁₃Ni₅Si₂ /Cr₃Ni₅Si₂ eutectics were fabricated on a titanium alloy BT9 by laser cladding using Cr-Ni-Si alloy powders in order to enhance the tribological properties of titanium alloys. The microstructure of the coatings was characterized by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The wear resistance of the coating was evaluated under room-temperature metallic dry-sliding wear test conditions. Due to the presence of a large amount of Cr₁₃ Ni₅Si₂ primary phase, the coatings exhibited excellent wear resistance under dry-sliding wear test conditions.