Laser fabrication of Mo-TiC MMC on AA6061 aluminum alloy surface

A Nd-YAG laser was used to clad Mo/TiC onto the surface of Aluminum Alloy AA6061. Experimental results indicated that the Mo/TiC clad layer has good metallurgical bonding with the substrate. TiC particulates are uniformly dispersed in the clad surface. The optimised clad layer with a pre-mixed paste composition of 30%Mo70%TiC exhibited the best wear resistance during a pin-on-disc abrasive wear test. The microhardness of the clad layer is 5-10 times higher than the as-received Al alloy. The microstructures, chemical compositions and the worn surface of the clad layers were analysed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD).