Enhanced High-Temperature Wear Performance of H13 Steel through TiC Incorporation by Laser Metal Deposition

High-temperature wear failure has been a major challenge to die parts. This work provides a comprehensive study on the high-temperature wear performance of a TiC/H13 composite coating prepared by laser metal deposition (LMD). The microstructures of wrought H13 samples, LMD-processed H13 and TiC/H13 samples were systematically investigated. The refined martensite size, the uniform distribution of TiC ceramic particles, as well as their bonding with the matrix endowed the fabricated composite coating with superior hardness. The LMD-prepared TiC/H13 composite coating material demonstrated outstanding wear resistance when compared with other counterparts, mainly due to the high thermal stability and the load-transferring effect triggered by the introduced TiC ceramic particles. The dominated wear mechanism transition from severe ploughing in the wrought H13 material to mild delamination in the TiC/H13 composite coating was confirmed. The present study is expected to shed light on high-temperature wear-resistant coating material design and applications within the highly demanding mould industry.