Microstructure and Corrosion Behaviour of Laser Metal Deposited Ti6Al4V/Cu Composites in 3.5% Sea Water

Titanium alloy applications in the marine industries are due to their excellent corrosion resistance when exposed to surface contaminants. This paper reports the microstructure and corrosion behaviour of laser metal deposited Ti6Al4. V/Cu composites in 3.5% artificial sea water. During the deposition process, laser power of 1600. W and scanning speed of 0.3 m/min were kept constant throughout the entire process. The SEM of both Ti6Al4. V/Cucomposites shows the formation of Widmanstatten structures and the branches became thinnertoward the fusion zone. This was attributed to the reduction in the distribution and the flow of the heat input. The corrosion resistance behaviour of the Ti6Al4Vcompositesfrom the potentiodynamic polarization curve has been greatly improved with the addition of Cu content and this in turn has enhanced its surface modification.