Development of multicomponent hybrid powders based on titanium and niobium carbides as a promising material for laser cladding

Multicomponent hybrid TiC-NbC(Zr, Si) powder was developed and manufactured by mechanosynthesis in a high-energy vibratory ball mill. High-purity fragmented TiC, NbC, Zr and Si powders were selected and mixed in a ratio of 60:15:10:15 at.%, respectively, to manufacture the above powder. Several modes of mechanosynthesis were chosen for the experiment: 3, 6, 9 and 12 hours. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-Ray diffraction (XRD) analyzes were used to study the morphology, chemical and phase compositions of the obtained TiC-NbC(Zr, Si) powder. The SEM analysis confirmed the presence of all TiC, NbC, Zr and Si components in the final powder regardless of the mechanosynthesis time. However, the XRD analysis showed that after 9 and 12 hours of mechanosynthesis, the Zr and Si diffraction lines are completely absent. This occurs due to the dissolution of the Zr and Si elements in titanium and niobium carbides. In addition, it has been established that more than 6 hours are required to synthesize finely dispersed TiC-NbC(Zr, Si) powder. The study results can be useful for optimization of the mechanosynthesis process.