This study details the separate application of the gas tungsten arc welding process to two types of ceramic
powder, cladWC and TiC, onto the surface of AISI 1050 medium carbon steel. The paper characterizes the mi-
crostructures and erosive wear properties of the clad layers. The experimental results show that the two clad
layers have different microstructures. A vein-like eutectic Fe3W3C was observed in the microstructure of the
WC clad layer, whereas in the TiC clad layer, TiC ceramic powder melted partially and re-bonded with each
other to form a TiC reinforcement with larger grain size, which spread within the TiC clad layer matrix.
The hardness and the morphology of strengthening phases affected erosive wear performance of the clad
layer. In the low impact angle, the erosion resistance of the clad layer was superior to that of the medium car-
bon steel substrate. This result was due to the strengthening phase of the clad layer to resist the plastic flow
of the matrix during impacting of the particles, in which the erosive wear resistance of the impacted surface
was enhanced. From middle to high impact angles, the erosive wear mechanism was complex, which is de-
pendent on the bonding strength of the interface between the strengthening phase and the matrix, strength-
ening phase distribution, the ratio of tangential and normal force of erodent acting on the impacted surface,
and impacting velocity.