Earticle

The recent development of bio-ceramic material is being studied in various bio-material engineering field. There are lots of technical difficulties because manufacturing or bonding technique are required bio-friendliness, cleanliness and persistence. Zirconia ceramic powder is cladded on Ti-6AI-4V metallurgically by laser cladding processing. Laser cladding system with powder feeding delivery is designed and manufactured for optimum processing condition. Increasing of manufacturing speed and good quality of clad layer are achieved by application of preheating of substrate before laser cladding. The thin dilution and good clad layer on the substrate are obtained for applications of bio-materials such as the dental materials and the articulated joints of human body.

Laser cladding process accompanies phase transformations from melting (on heating) through solidifying (on cooling) at the same time within a small material volume and to final solid phase. The phase transformations are not reversible, but an irreversible thermodynamic process; they accompany either absorption or release of thermal energy (referred to latent heat) during transformation. Yet, most analyses on materials processed by laser as a heat source have been performed on models of neglecting the latent heat in the process and those did not Justify the simplification. With literatures on the laser material process, we have not place an answer to how little the assumption affects on analyses. This led us to our current study: the effects of latent heat on thermo-mechanical analysis. To this end, we developed a fairly accurate program accommodating an algorithm for enforcing the latent heat whenever necessary and ran it combining with ABAQUS$^{TM}$. The simulation techniques we used in this study were verified by directly comparing our prediction with experimental publications elsewhere; our numerical results agreed accurately with the experiments. On the effects of the latent heat, we performed two alternatives about considering the latent heat in analysis, and compared each other. As a result, we found that more accurate conclusions might come out when considering the latent heat in process analyses.s.

In this study, the mechanical properties and microstructure of a surface hardenings coating layers formed by laser cladding using bulk metallic glass (BMG) wire as a filler, have been evaluated. The fabricated powder shape as a filler metal was observed as sphericalness, which is suitable for laser welding. X-ray diffraction analysis observed that the powder was fully amorphous. The mechanical properties were measured by tensile strength tests and micro-hardness tests, whereas the microstructure and grain structure were analyzed by using a field emission scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope. Surface coating was carried out by laser cladding and gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) processes. The tensile strengths of the laser-clad and GTAW coatings were determined to be 2.0 and 1.7 GPa, respectively. The tensile strength and micro-hardness of the laser-clad coating were about 15% and 14.3% higher, respectively, than those of the GTAW coating. Additionally, the laser-clad coating showed finer grains and fewer dendrites due to reduced dendrite distribution. The BMG layer was composed of a mixture of α-Fe and amorphous phases.

A T-800 (Co-Mo-Cr) coating material is fabricated using Co-Mo-Cr powder feedstock and laser cladding. The microstructure and melted Al erosion properties of the laser-cladded T-800 coating material are investigated. The Al erosion properties of the HVOF-sprayed MoB-CoCr and bulk T-800 material are also examined and compared with the laser-cladded T-800 coating material. Co and lave phases (Co2MoCr and Co3Mo2Si) are detected in both the lasercladded T-800 coating and the bulk T-800 materials. However, the sizes of the lave phases are measured as 7.9 μm and 60.6 μm for the laser-cladded and bulk T-800 materials, respectively. After the Al erosion tests, the erosion layer thicknesses of the three materials are measured as 91.50 μm (HVOF MoB-CoCr coating), 204.83 μm (laser cladded T- 800), and 226.33 μm (bulk T-800). In the HVOF MoB-CoCr coating material, coarse cracks and delamination of the coating layer are observed. On the other hand, no cracks or local delamination of the coating layer are detected in the laser T-800 material even after the Al erosion test. Based on the above results, the authors discuss the appropriate material and process that could replace conventional bulk T-800 materials used as molten Al pots.

A T-800 (Co-Mo-Cr) coating material is fabricated using Co-Mo-Cr powder feedstock and laser cladding. The microstructure and melted Al erosion properties of the laser-cladded T-800 coating material are investigated. The Al erosion properties of the HVOF-sprayed MoB-CoCr and bulk T-800 material are also examined and compared with the laser-cladded T-800 coating material. Co and lave phases (Co₂MoCr and Co₃Mo₂Si) are detected in both the laser-cladded T-800 coating and the bulk T-800 materials. However, the sizes of the lave phases are measured as 7.9 ㎛ and 60.6 ㎛ for the laser-cladded and bulk T-800 materials, respectively. After the Al erosion tests, the erosion layer thicknesses of the three materials are measured as 91.50 ㎛ (HVOF MoB-CoCr coating), 204.83 ㎛ (laser cladded T-800), and 226.33 ㎛ (bulk T-800). In the HVOF MoB-CoCr coating material, coarse cracks and delamination of the coating layer are observed. On the other hand, no cracks or local delamination of the coating layer are detected in the laser T-800 material even after the Al erosion test. Based on the above results, the authors discuss the appropriate material and process that could replace conventional bulk T-800 materials used as molten Al pots.

Temperature field and cooling rate are important parameters to influence the properties of clad layer and the heat affected zone. In this paper the temperature field and cooling rate of laser cladding are studied by a two-dimensional time-dependent finite element model. Experiment has been carried out by Nd:YAG laser cladding with wire feeding. Research results indicate that at the beginning of cladding, the width and depth of melt pool increase with cladding time. The cooling rate is related to position, cladding time, cladding speed, and preheating temperature. The temperature near melt pool changes rapidly while the temperature far from melt pool changes slowly. With the increase of cladding time, cooling rate decreases. The further the distance from the melt pool, the lower the temperature and the slower the cooling rate. The faster the cladding speed, the faster the cooling rate. The higher the preheating temperature, the slower the cooling rate. The FEM results coincide well with the experiment results.

Dilution is an important factor which influences the properties of clad layer. In this paper the change of dilution during laser cladding and the control of dilution are simulated by a finite element method. The adaptive mesh method is adopted for the time-dependent finite element method computation so that the shape of melt pool can be well represented. The situation of the width control of melt pool is also simulated, which indicates that the dilution can be controlled if the width of melt pool is controlled. Computational results indicate that if a line energy (input energy per unit distance) remains constant the dilution will increase with time, especially at the beginning. Simulation results show that it is possible to control dilution in a certain range if the line energy decreases with time. Experiment of Nd: YAG laser cladding with wire feeding is performed. Experiment results coincide well with the FEM results.

Laser cladding a surface treatment process that grants superior characteristics such as toughness, hardness, and corrosion resistance to the surface, and rebuilds cracked molds; as such, it can be a strong tool to prolong service life of mold steel. Furthermore, compared with the other similar coating processes - thermal spray, etc., laser cladding provides superior bonding strength and precision coating on a local area. In this study, surface characteristics are studied after laser cladding of low carbon steel using 18%Cr-2.5%Ni-Fe powder (Rockit404), known for its high hardness and excellent corrosion resistance. A diode laser with wavelength of 900-1070 nm is adopted as laser source under argon atmosphere; electrical power for the laser cladding process is 5, 6, and 10 kW. Fundamental surface characteristics such as crossectional microstructure and hardness profile are observed and measured, and special evaluation, such as a soldering test with molten ALDC12 alloy, is conducted to investigate the corrosion resistance characteristics. As a result of the die-soldering test by immersion of low carbon alloy steel in ALDC12 molten metal, the clad layer's soldering thickness decreases.

In sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFR), 316L(N) SS grid plate is hardfaced with Ni-Cr-B-Si alloy to achieve higher wear resistance. Tensile and fatigue forces are acting at the interface between substrate and deposit due to different thermal expansion coefficients of those two materials, which can cause cracking of deposit and fracture during operation. Thus, it is very important to consider appropriate hardfacing method which can provide higher tensile and fatigue strength to avoid cracking/debonding at the interface. To find a solution to this problem, two hardfacing techniques, namely Gas Tungsten Arc (GTA) and Laser cladding (LC), are taken into consideration. Hardfaced specimens are prepared using each process on which tensile and high cycle fatigue tests are conducted. From the experimental testing, stress-strain and S-N curves are generated to predict the tensile and fatigue behaviour of specimens. Fractographic studies are conducted at fractured surfaces to understand the fatigue crack nucleation and propagation characteristics. The experimental results for both processes are compared. Tensile and fatigue strength of LC specimens are ~11 % and ~17 % less than those of GTA specimens due to its higher brittleness. Thus, GTA process is recommended as the efficient hardfacing process for grid plate of SFR.

The microstructure and the distribution of hardness of Co and A1 alloy powder cladding layer in high carbon 9CrSi alloy steel for roll materials cladded by laser surface cladding were investigated. And, for the evaluation of soundness as the roll materials, we examined the wear resistance of the cladding materials with the wear appratus of pin on disc type. The experimental results showed that the microstructure of laser cladding layer was constituted with the clad surface layer, the alloy layer, the heat treatment layer with base metal. The wear resistance of Ni alloy Powder cladding material was superior to that of Co alloy powder cladding material both at the low speed (0.46m/s) and the high speed(0.92m/s). It seemed that the behavior of wear showed the abrasive wear at the early stage and the adhesive wear at the late stage.

A319 aluminum alloy containing 6.5% Si and 3.5% Cu as major alloying elements has been widely used in machinery parts because of its excellent castability and crack resistance. However it needs more wear resistance to extend its usage to the severe wear environments. It has been known that hyper-eutectic Al-Si alloy having more than 12.6% Si contains pro-eutectic Si particles, which give better wear resistance and lubrication characteristics than hypo-eutectic Al-Si alloy like A319 alloy. In this study, it was tried to clad hyper-eutectic Al-Si alloy on the surface of A319 alloy. In the experiments, Al-36%Si alloy powder was mixed with organic binder to make a fluidic paste. The paste was screen-printed on the A319 alloy surface, melted by pulsed Nd:YAG laser and alloyed with the A319 base alloy. As experimental parameters, the average laser power was changed to 111 W, 202 W and 280 W. With increasing the average laser power, the melting depth was changed to $142{\mu}m$, $205{\mu}m$ and $245{\mu}m$, and the dilution rate to 67.2 %, 72.4 % and 75.7 %, and the Si content in the cladding layer to 16.2 %, 14.6 % and 13.7 %, respectively. The cross-section of the cladding layer showed very fine eutectic microstructure even though it was hyper-eutectic Al-Si alloy. This seems to be due to the rapid solidification of the melted spot by single laser pulse. The average hardness for the three cladding layers was HV175, which was much higher than HV96 of A319 base alloy. From the block-on-roll wear tests, A319 alloy had a wear loss of 5.8 mg, but the three cladding layers had an average wear loss of 3.5 mg, which meant that an increase of 40 % in wear resistance was obtained by laser cladding.

In this study, it was tried to make an Al-Si clad layer with excellent wear resistant by scanning a pulsed Nd:YAG laser beam after printing silicon powder paste on the A1050 Al alloy surface. The microstructure and wear resistant of the clad layer were investigated according to the height of the silicon powder layer and the laser output power. An innovative method of using tape as a spacer to control the height of the silicon powder layer has been attempted. All the laser clad layers had a very fine microstructure. The silicon content in the clad layer was largely dependent on the height of the silicon powder layer rather than the laser output power. The average Si contents of A (107 ㎛ tape) and B (138 ㎛ tape) specimens were similar to 16.8 and 14.5 wt%Si, respectively, while C (197 ㎛ tape) specimens had an average Si content of 38.8 wt%Si. In the wear test, the average wear loss and the average friction coefficient were decreased with increasing the height of the silicon powder layer. The average wear loss of A and B specimens was similar to 6.8 and 6.2 mg, respectively. On the other hand, the average wear loss of C specimens was 3.5 mg, which indicated excellent wear resistance.

A319 aluminum alloy containing 6.5% Si and 3.5% Cu as major alloying elements has been widely used in machinery parts because of its excellent castability and crack resistance. However it needs more wear resistance to extend its usage to the severe wear environments. It has been known that hyper-eutectic Al-Si alloy having more than 12.6% Si contains pro-eutectic Si particles, which give better wear resistance and lubrication characteristics than hypo-eutectic Al-Si alloy like A319 alloy. In this study, it was tried to clad hyper-eutectic Al-Si alloy on the surface of A319 alloy. In the experiments, Al-36%Si alloy powder was mixed with organic binder to make a fluidic paste. The paste was screen-printed on the A319 alloy surface, melted by pulsed Nd:YAG laser and alloyed with the A319 base alloy. As experimental parameters, the average laser power was changed to 111 W, 202 W and 280 W. With increasing the average laser power, the melting depth was changed to 142 ㎛, 205 ㎛ and 245 ㎛, and the dilution rate to 67.2 %, 72.4 % and 75.7 %, and the Si content in the cladding layer to 16.2 %, 14.6 % and 13.7 %, respectively. The cross-section of the cladding layer showed very fine eutectic microstructure even though it was hyper-eutectic Al-Si alloy. This seems to be due to the rapid solidification of the melted spot by single laser pulse. The average hardness for the three cladding layers was HV175, which was much higher than HV96 of A319 base alloy. From the block-on-roll wear tests, A319 alloy had a wear loss of 5.8 mg, but the three cladding layers had an average wear loss of 3.5 mg, which meant that an increase of 40 % in wear resistance was obtained by laser cladding.

Laser cladding processing allows rapid transfer of heat to the material being processed with minimum conduction into base metal, resulting in low total heat input. The effects of $CO_2$ laser cladding with powder feeding on mechanical properties of VERSAlloy were studied. Their low melting point (under 1093$^{\circ}C$) enables overlays to be applied with minimum dilution and base metal distortion. Experiment results indicated that powder feeding speed and quantity were important for laser cladding with powder feeding. The powder feeding speed should be adapted according to cladding speed for good shaping of clad layer. The effect of heat on the HAZ size can be limited and the growth of grain size of HAZ size was not serious.