Effect of Cu on the high-temperature wear behavior of FeAl-TiB2 coatings produced by extreme high-speed laser cladding

Abstracts: To enhance the tribological and wear properties of carbon steel at high temperatures, FeAl-TiB2-Cux coatings were produced using an extreme high-speed laser cladding process. The coatings had varying Cu content and were made from original powders including Fe, Al, Cu, and TiB2. The study focused on the phase composition, microstructure, and wear mechanism of the coating. Results showed that the composite coatings mainly consisted of FeAl, TiB2, and Cu9Al4 with uniformly distributed remelted TiB2 particles. When Cu content was less than 3wt%, plastic deformation and oxidation wear dominated the coating's wear mode; when it exceeded 3wt%, abrasive wear became more prominent alongside oxidation wear. It was found that the tribo-film was formed by metal oxides during the dry sliding process. Especially, the coating with 5wt% Cu content exhibited the lowest friction coefficient wear rate at 600℃ due to the self-lubricating properties of CuO.