Effect of tungsten carbide addition on the corrosion behaviour of sintered Ti-3Al-2.5 V composites in sodium sulfate and sodium chloride environments

The research article reports the hot and dry corrosion behaviour of titanium-based novel Ti-3Al-2.5 V composite. Hot and dry corrosion behaviour of the titanium composite was analyzed by incorporating the WC material as reinforcement. It has been developed using Powder metallurgy technique. Different weight percentages (wt%) of WC particles (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0) were added to the Ti-3Al-2.5 V alloy powders and the composites were subjected to microwave sintering process for the temperature of 1300 °C. Ti-3Al-2.5 V + WC composites were the subject of various experimentation such as TAFEL Polarization and electrochemical impedance using 3.5 wt% of NaCl solution at room temperature. Three consecutive days, the Ti-3Al-2.5 V + WC composites were subjected to heat up to 850 °C in a hot corrosion experiment using 75% Na₂SO₄ and 25% NaCl. The composites density and porosity analyses showed that the addition of WC increased its density, with Ti-3Al-2.5 V + 0.5 WC demonstrating a 95% densification. However, hot corrosion in Na₂SO₄/NaCl at 850 °C was performed on Ti-3Al-2.5 V + WC; the corrosion resistance was significantly improved.