Influence of Laser Cladding Parameters on Microstructure, Microhardness, Chemical Composition, Wear and Corrosion Resistance of Fe–B Composite Coatings Reinforced with B4C and Si Particles

Abstract

The paper presents the study results of a laser cladding process of C45 steel using powder mixtures. The aim of this study was to investigate the microstructure, X-ray diffraction (XRD), chemical composition (EDS), microhardness, corrosion resistance and wear resistance of the newly obtained coatings. Modified coatings were prepared using laser cladding technology. A 1 kW continuous wave Yb:YAG disk laser with a powder feeding system was applied. Two different powder mixtures as well as various laser beam parameters were used. The first powder mixture contained Fe–B, and the second mixture was Fe–B–B4C–Si. Two values of laser beam power (600 and 800 W) and three values of scanning speed (600, 800, and 1000 mm/min) were applied during the studies. As a result of the influence of the laser beam, the zones enriched with modifying elements were obtained. Based on the results of XRD, the presence of phases derived from borides and carbides was found. In all cases analyzed, EDS studies showed that there is an increased content of boron in the dendritic areas, while there is an increased silicon content in interdendritic spaces. The addition of B4C and Si improved properties such as microhardness as well as wear and corrosion resistance. The microhardness of the coating increased from approx. 400 HV to approx. 1100 HV depending on the laser parameters used. The best corrosion resistance was obtained for the Fe–B–B4C–Si coating produced using the highest laser beam scanning speed. An improvement in wear resistance can be seen after wear tests, where the weight loss decreased from about 0.08 g to about 0.05 g.

Influence of Laser Beam Power on Microstructure and Microhardness of Fe/ZrC Coatings Produced on Steel Using Laser Processing—Preliminary Study on the Single Laser Tracks

“…Coatings reinforced with hard carbide particles usually take the form of a composite. The most frequently used reinforcing phases include tungsten carbide WC and W 2 C [7,8,10,[19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30], silicon carbide SiC [31,32], boron carbide B 4 C [2,33,34] or titanium carbide TiC [35,36].…”

Manufacturing Technology and Properties of Fe/TaC Metal Matrix Composite Coatings Produced on Medium Carbon Steel Using Laser Processing—Preliminary Study on the Single Laser Tracks

“…There are many methods of making composite coatings. These are, for example, laser cladding technology [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 11 , 12 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ], traditional surfacing technologies [ 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 ] or laser processing of pre-coat [ 32 , 33 ]. Regardless of the production method used, it is important to obtain a composite microstructure, where the reinforcing phase will be clearly separated from the metal matrix.…”

Characteristics of Cr-B Coatings Produced on Vanadis® 6 Tool Steel Using Laser Processing

“…Laser modification is also used for this purpose [ 16 , 17 , 18 ]. One of the currently popular techniques is laser heat treatment [ 6 , 8 , 9 ], where the base material is alloyed with metals or nonmetals, including carbon [ 19 ], boron [ 20 , 21 , 22 ], chromium [ 23 ], silicon [ 23 , 24 , 25 ], molybdenum [ 26 ], carbides [ 27 , 28 ], borides [ 27 ] or mixtures of various elements [ 25 , 26 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 ]. As a result of the laser alloying process, the chemical composition and microstructure are changed, hence changing the properties of the processed material.…”