Improvement of wear resistance of a laser-sprayed Ti-N coating by laser remelting

It has been recently reported that porous Ti-N sprayed coatings can be made fine-structured by laser irradiation. This paper describes an investigation of the effects of infiltrated metal species on the wear resistance of Ti-N remelted layers. Non-ferrous metal powders were sprayed on SS400 steel plate substrates in an argon atmosphere. The coating thickness was around 200 μm. Pure titanium was also sprayed on the non-ferrous sprayed coatings in a nitrogen atmosphere. The coating thickness was around 400 μm. Coating specimens consisting of non-ferrous and Ti-N layers were remelted by laser in a nitrogen atmosphere. The remelted layers of the coatings had a fine microstructure with a hardness value above HV1000. The wear resistance of the Ti-N coatings was appreciably improved by remelting.