3rd TAGRA

AA2024 aluminium alloy is a widely used structural material, especially in aerospace and automotive applications, due to its high strength-to-weight ratio and low density. Also, Surface modification is required since the alloy's surface properties are insufficient under operating conditions. This study aims to investigate the feasibility of producing composite coatings containing TiC particles on AA2024 aluminium alloy via the micro-arc oxidation (MAO) method, as well as the effect of TiC addition on the morphological and structural properties of the coating. For this purpose, an undoped MAO coating was produced using a base electrolyte, while a composite MAO coating was fabricated by adding titanium carbide (TiC) particles to the electrolyte. The surface and cross-sectional morphologies of the obtained coatings were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), while their elemental compositions were analysed using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). It has been observed that microcracks and pores of various sizes form on the surface of the undoped MAO coating. In the EDS analysis of the TiC-containing composite coating, Ti and C were detected with Al and O. It has been observed that adding TiC particles increases coating thickness, reduces the number and size of surface pores, and causes TiC particles to condense particularly around pores. The findings demonstrated that composite MAO coatings containing TiC particles could be successfully produced on the surface of AA2024 aluminium alloy and that the addition of TiC caused significant changes in the coating thickness and surface morphology.