Effect of laser power variation on microstructure and properties of selective laser melting coating deposited on TC4 titanium alloy
- 1Chengdu Aeronautic Polytechnic University, Chengdu, China
- 2Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Green General Aviation Power, Nanchang, China
- 3State Key Laboratory of Intelligent Manufacturing Equipment and Technology, Wuhan, China
Abstract
The surface properties of aviation titanium alloy directly affect its service safety and reliability, and high-performance coating are essential for its practical application. However, existing studies lack clear guidance on laser power parameters for preparing high-quality TiAl coating on titanium alloy substrates, leaving a research gap in optimizing coating quality and performance. To fill this gap, this work used selective laser melting (SLM) to fabricate TiAl coating on titanium alloy substrates, focusing on the influence of laser power (350–380 W) on coating microstructure, phase composition, elemental distribution and microhardness. SEM, XRD and EDS characterizations were used for systematic analysis. The results show that laser power is the key factor determining coating quality. Severe longitudinal cracks appeared at 350 W and 360 W, leading to poor interfacial bonding and potential coating peeling. The optimal laser power was 370 W, achieving good metallurgical bonding without obvious defects. New Ti5Al11 and Al2Sc phases were formed with a controlled Al/Ti weight ratio of 1:1.8, and the coating reached the highest microhardness of 641.9 HV0.2. Excessively high power (380 W) caused numerous cracks and reduced coating performance. This research provides certain technical references and theoretical support for the preparation of TiAl coating on the surface of aerospace titanium alloys.
Related
- Anisotropic Microstructure and Chemo-Optical Properties of Fluorocarbon Films Deposited by Ablative Pulsed Plasma Thruster Plumes
- Study on microstructure and properties of titanium alloy wall fabricated by laser-TIG arc
- Influence of spray stand-off distance, plasma intensity, and Ar/H2 ratio, on the phase composition and microstructure of bismuth-containing 45S5 bioactive glass coatings deposited by atmospheric plasma spray (APS)
- Microstructure and Mechanical Response of Commercially Pure Titanium VT1-0 After Short-Term Hot Deformation
- Structural, morphological and optical properties of Cd0.7Fe2.3O4 thin films deposited on glass and quartz substrates and electrical investigation of Cd0.7Fe2.3O4/n-Si heterostructure
BibTeX
@article{xu2026effect,
title = {{Effect of laser power variation on microstructure and properties of selective laser melting coating deposited on TC4 titanium alloy}},
author = {Wei Xu and Gaojian You and Yong Li and Bo Tao and Xiang Li and Guoyang Zhao},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0356182},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0356182},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Effect of laser power variation on microstructure and properties of selective laser melting coating deposited on TC4 titanium alloy
AU - Wei Xu
AU - Gaojian You
AU - Yong Li
AU - Bo Tao
AU - Xiang Li
AU - Guoyang Zhao
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/10
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0356182
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0356182
AB - The surface properties of aviation titanium alloy directly affect its service safety and reliability, and high-performance coating are essential for its practical application. However, existing studies lack clear guidance on laser power parameters for preparing high-quality TiAl coating on titanium alloy substrates, leaving a research gap in optimizing coating quality and performance. To fill this gap, this work used selective laser melting (SLM) to fabricate TiAl coating on titanium alloy substrates, focusing on the influence of laser power (350–380 W) on coating microstructure, phase composition, elemental distribution and microhardness. SEM, XRD and EDS characterizations were used for systematic analysis. The results show that laser power is the key factor determining coating quality. Severe longitudinal cracks appeared at 350 W and 360 W, leading to poor interfacial bonding and potential coating peeling. The optimal laser power was 370 W, achieving good metallurgical bonding without obvious defects. New Ti5Al11 and Al2Sc phases were formed with a controlled Al/Ti weight ratio of 1:1.8, and the coating reached the highest microhardness of 641.9 HV0.2. Excessively high power (380 W) caused numerous cracks and reduced coating performance. This research provides certain technical references and theoretical support for the preparation of TiAl coating on the surface of aerospace titanium alloys.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -