Microstructure and mechanical properties of SiC particle reinforced Zr-based metallic glass surface composite layers produced by laser alloying

Metallic glasses (MGs) are a promising candidate for advanced structural applications due to their superior mechanical properties. Improving their surface mechanical properties would be of great importance for promoting their structural and functional applications. In this study, SiC particles were used as the reinforcement to improve the mechanical properties of Zr-based MG via laser surface alloying. The influences of the average laser power and overlap ratio between neighboring laser processing lines on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the laser-alloyed surface layer were investigated. The experimental results indicated that ZrC and SiC phases were successfully introduced into the MG matrix by laser surface alloying, and the content of these two hard ceramic phases was dependent on the laser processing parameters. The formed laser-alloyed surface layers exhibited a significant improvement in overall hardness compared with the as-cast specimen. At a relatively high overlap ratio of 70%, the average hardness of the MG matrix within the laser-alloyed surface layer reached 28.91 GPa, which was three times higher than that of the as-cast specimen (6.46 GPa). Furthermore, the microstructural characteristics and mechanical properties of the cross-sections of the laser-alloyed samples were characterized. The thickness of the laser-alloyed surface layer reached several tens of microns, and the SiC particles were uniformly dispersed in the whole laser-alloyed surface layer. This study confirms the feasibility for improving the mechanical properties of MGs by laser surface alloying, which is expected to broaden the application of MGs as structural and functional components under harsh severe conditions.