Structure and Hardness of М2 High Speed Steel Modified by Pulsed Laser Irradiation

Abstract

The paper studies the surface structure and microhardness of the coating modified by the pulsed laser irradiation. The coating is obtained by plasma-jet hard-facing of the AISI (American Iron and Steel Institute) М2 high speed steel powder. The modes of the laser irradiation differ in peaking capacity, pulse duration and diameters of the focused laser beam. It is demonstrated that the weld penetration shape factor depends on the laser beam fluence and the pulse duration. In its turn, the weld penetration shape factor effects the quality of obtained irradiation zones.