Microstructure and Wear Behavior of Self-Lubricating Microwave Clads Deposited on Titanium Alloy

In this work, composite clads (NiCrSiB/WC/Ag/hBN and NiCrSiB/WC/MoS₂/hBN) have been successfully developed using microwave cladding technique on titanium 31 substrate. The clads were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), x-Ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The developed clads were free from porosity, defects, and other thermal distortion effects. Furthermore, due to the uniform distribution of hard phases, clads achieved uniform hardness across the clad depth. The convective currents of the molten pool improved metallurgical bonding with the substrate. Because of the volumetric heating, the deviation of microhardness values in the clad was found to be low. The tribological properties of the clads were tested against an Al₂O₃ counterbody using a pin on disc tribometer. The results showed that incorporating solid lubricants (Ag/hBN and MoS₂/hBN) into the nickel-based alloy significantly improved tribological properties. The wear rate and coefficient of friction decreased as the temperature increased from 200 to 600 °C. It was demonstrated that anti-wear and lubricating capability of both clad could be improved at elevated temperatures by doping Ag, MoS₂, and hBN solid lubricants.