In this study, the microstructure and characterization of an overlay welding layer using Fe-based composite powders are reported. The effects of the number of passes and composition of powders on the microstructure and mechanical properties are investigated in detail. The welding wire and powders are deposited twice on a stainless-steel rod using a laser overlay welding process. The microstructure and structural characterization are performed by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The mechanical properties of the first and second overlay layers are analyzed through the micro-Vickers-hardness tester and abrasion wear tester. In the second overlay layer, the hardness and specific wear are approximately 840 Hv and 2.0 × 10−5 mm3/Nm, respectively. It is suggested that the increase of the volume fractions of (Cr,Fe)7C3 and NbC phases in the second welding layer enhances the hardness and wear resistance.

The Fe-based self-fluxing alloy powders and TiC particles were ball-milled and subsequently compacted and sintered at various temperatures, resulting in the TiC particle-reinforced Fe self-fluxing alloy hybrid composite, and the microstructure and micro-hardness were investigated. The initial Fe-based self-fluxing alloy powders and TiC particles showed the spherical shape with a mean size of approximately 80 and the irregular shape of less than 5 , respectively. After ball-milling at 800 rpm for 5 h, the powder mixture of Fe-based self-fluxing alloy powders and TiC particles formed into the agglomerated powders with the size of approximately 10 that was composed of the nanosized TiC particles and nano-sized alloy particles. The TiC particle-reinforced Fe-based self-fluxing alloy hybrid composite sintered at 1173 K revealed a much denser microstructure and higher micro-hardness than that sintered at 1073 K and 1273 K.