Comparative Study on the Wear Resistance of 45 Steel Laser Clad with Fe-based Coatings and Die Steel
B. Han, H. Wang, W-H. Cui, X-H. Liu and J-Y. Lin
Two types of Fe-based coatings (Specimen 1 and Specimen 2) were fabricated on a 45 steel by laser cladding with a high power diode laser (HPDL). The microstructure, phase composition and microhardness of the different coatings were investigated and the wear resistance was analysed. The results showed that the bottom, middle and upper parts of the clad layers exhibited different microstructures: the dominant phases of both specimens were α-Fe martensite and Cr23C6 hard phase. The two Fe-based coatings were also compared to a Cr12MoV die steel. the microhardness of Specimen 1 was significantly higher than that of the Cr12MoV die steel. The presence of the Cr23C6 hard phase in the clad layers of Specimen 1 and Specimen 2 reduced the wear weight loss and the width and depth of the wear scars compared with the Cr12MoV die steel.
Keywords: High power diode laser (HPDL), Fe-based coatings, Cr12MoV die steel, laser cladding, microstructure, phase, microhardness, wear resistance