Page 62 - ESAM-1-4

Engineering Science in

Additive Manufacturing

ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Effect of electroshock treatment on

microstructure evolution of Ti-6Al-4V/Cu-Cr-Zr
interface fabricated by laser melting deposition

Shiqiang Xie 1,2† , Changlin Huang 1,2† , Jiawei Gong 1,2 , Pei Wang 1,2 ,
1,2
Yan Wen * , and Lechun Xie *
1,2
1 State Key Laboratory of Light Superalloys, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
2 Hubei Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Automotive Components, Wuhan University of
Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China

Abstract

This study aims to examine the effect of electroshock treatment (EST) on Ti-6Al-4V/
Cu-Cr-Zr manufactured by laser melting deposition and explore the microstructure
† These authors contributed equally and mechanical properties to investigate the microstructure evolution of copper-
to this work. based rail composite materials under high-energy-density currents. The results
*Corresponding authors: indicated that EST could promote atomic diffusion, enabling rapid preferential
Yan Wen growth of TiCu in the metallurgical bonding zone. An increase of the current density
(gubi2008@whut.edu.cn)
Lechun Xie promoted the nucleation of the primary Ti Cu phase induced by the thermal effect of
2
(xielechun@whut.edu.cn) EST, which led to Cu solute enrichment and composition undercooling. Moreover, EST
significantly improved nucleation rate and grain boundary migration. The average β
Citation: Xie S, Huang C, Gong J,
Wang P, Wen Y, and Xie L. grain size of the EST-1 sample increased from 2.83 μm to 3.62 μm, approximately,
Effect of electroshock treatment while the typical basic texture of EST-1 was enhanced. In EST-1, the shear strength
on microstructure evolution of of Ti-6Al-4V/Cu-Cr-Zr was 132 MPa, which was 65% higher than that of the original
Ti-6Al-4V/Cu-Cr-Zr interface
fabricated by laser melting Ti-6Al-4V/Cu-Cr-Zr composite. The improvement in shear strength can be attributed
deposition. Eng Sci Add Manuf. to intergranular nano-precipitation and the improved wettability of Ti-6Al-4V/
2025;1(4):025430030. Cu-Cr-Zr. This work provides valuable insights into the preparation of high-value,
doi: 10.36922/ESAM025430030
high-performance Cu-based composites.
Received: October 21, 2025
1st revised: November 6, 2025 Keywords: Electroshock treatment; Ti-6Al-4V/Cu-Cr-Zr interface; Microstructure
2nd revised: November 11, 2025 evolution; Mechanical properties
Accepted: November 12, 2025
Published online: November 28,
2025 1. Introduction
Copyright: © 2025 Author(s).
This is an Open-Access article Maintaining high electrical conductivity of copper alloys while increasing surface
distributed under the terms of the hardness, heat resistance, and wear resistance can increase the service life of copper
Creative Commons Attribution components. At present, advanced surface strengthening techniques are widely
1-5
License, permitting distribution,
and reproduction in any medium, employed in the preparation of reinforced layers on copper alloy surfaces to enhance
provided the original work is their surface properties. Laser melting deposition (LMD) is an advanced surface
6-8
properly cited. treatment technology, marked by high deposition efficiency, high surface accuracy, and
Publisher’s Note: AccScience a small heat-affected zone of the substrate. Titanium alloys show characteristics, such
9
Publishing remains neutral with as high hardness, high temperature resistance, and corrosion resistance. As a coating,
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional it can significantly improve the surface performance of copper alloys. 10-12 In addition,
affiliations. Ti-6Al-4V has high strength and low electrical resistance, which can enhance the

Volume 1 Issue 4 (2025) 1 doi: 10.36922/ESAM025430030