Evaluation of Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Ti6A14V / (WC-Co) Friction Welds

The metallurgical and mechanical properties of Ti6Al4V/(WC-Co) friction welds have ben investigated. The microstructure close to the bondline comprised a mixture of acicular and equiaxed α plus β phases. The diffusion of elements in the welded specimens has been detected. The fracture strengths of Ti6Al4V/(WC-Co) friction welds markedly improved when the cobalt content in the (WC-Co) carbide substrate increased. During the three-point bend testing of Ti6Al4V/WC-6wt.%Co welds, the crack initiated at the bondline region at the periphery of the weld and then propagated into the brittle (WC-6wt.%Co) substrate, while with the Ti6Al4V/WC-11 wt.%Co and Ti6Al4V/WC-24wt.%Co welds, the crack initiated and propagated at the bondline region. Keywords: Friction welding, Ti6Al4V alloy, Cemented tungsten carbide, Microstructure, Fracture strength