High-speed laser metal deposited tungsten carbide-Inconel 625 coating with refined microstructure and enhanced wear for high temperature performance
摘要
A tungsten carbide (WC)-reinforced Inconel 625 coating produced via high-speed laser metal deposition (HS-LMD) with capability of scanning speed up to 30,000 mm/min was investigated. The resulting coating exhibits a refined cellular/dendritic microstructure with uniformly distributed WC particles within the Inconel 625 matrix, due to the high cooling rate associated with the HS-LMD process. In contrast to traditional LMD coating, a thinner layer coating was obtained via HS-LMD (~ 70 µm) without crack defects showing strong metallurgical bonding with 316L substrate. The tribology test shows that wear volume is reduced by 75% and the wear rate reduced by 67% compared with LMD coating. The hardness of the Inconel 625 matrix was increased from 334 HV for LMD to 403 HV for HS-LMD. The enhancement of the wear resistance of HS-LMD coating is attributed to the microstructural refinement with the additional effect from the homogeneously distributed WC particles. The high-temperature oxidation behavior conducted at 1100 °C shows that the HS-LMD coating is being oxidized at a slower speed than LMD coating. Meanwhile, the HS-LMD coating demonstrates minimal dilution and reduced micro-segregation, resulting in a high-quality, crack-free surface with improved mechanical properties and high-temperature oxidation resistance.