LAUSR

In this work, using a powder compact tool electrode prepared with TiC-Cu powder mixture a TiC-Cu composite coating was deposited on AISI 1020 steel by the electro-discharge coating (EDC) process. Among the different ratios of TiC and Cu in the tool electrode, it was found that the tool electrode with 60% TiC was capable of producing an acceptable quality coating. The effect of peak current and pulse duration on the deposition rate and surface characteristics of the coating was evaluated. Also, a detailed mechanical characterization of the coating was carried out through the measurement of microhardness and wear resistance of the coated surface. The results indicated up to ten times improvement in the hardness value and four times improvement in the wear resistance as compared to the uncoated substrate material. The microstructure of the deposited layer revealed some undulations on the coating surface specifically processed at higher current, which may affect the wear resistance of the coating. The experimental results revealed that within the processing range, peak current and pulse duration have a significant effect on the performance of the coating due to alteration in the deposition of the coating material.