Microstructure and Fracture Toughness of TiC-Ni Cermets by Direct Laser Fabrication
Yaomin Wang, Jiandong Hu, Zhengju Cheng, Hongying Wang and Zuoxing Guo
TiC-Ni cermets have been produced using direct laser fabrication on a low carbon steel substrate, with 30, 40 and 50 vol.% Ni, respectively. The TiC particles were produced by an in situ reaction of titanium and graphite during the direct laser fabrication, instead of being directly injected into the laser molten pool. The results showed that the cermets consisted of TiC and Ni phases, indicating that TiC was synthesized by the in situ reaction. Moreover, the results revealed that an increase in Ni content results in a decrease in micro-hardness and increase in fracture toughness.