Laser power and scanning speed influence on the microstructure, hardness, and slurry erosion performance of Colmonoy-5 claddings

A 4kW Yb: YAG solid-state disc laser, with a four-way co-axial cladding head with powder feeding technique was employed to fabricate single-layer clads of Ni-based hardfacing alloy (Colmonoy-5) on medium carbon steel (ASME SA105) substrate by varying the laser processing parameters namely, beam power level (designated as low: 1200 W, medium: 1400 W, and high: 1600 W) and scanning speed (designated as low: 300 mm/min, medium: 400 mm/min, and high: 500mm/min). The laser clads were evaluated for their microstructural characteristics, microhardness, and slurry erosive wear performance with an aim to understand the effect of process parametric variations on their properties. Microstructural analyses of the clads were carried out using an optical microscope and a field-emission scanning electron microscope with attached energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer supplemented by their Vickers microhardness testing and X-ray diffraction examination. The variation in laser processing parameters exerted a strong influence on the microstructural features of the clads in terms of gamma-Ni dendrite size as well as morphology and distribution of various complex precipitates such as Cr-carbides and borides with relatively uniform distribution observed for the clads corresponding to low laser power and high scanning speed. The variation in laser power had relatively a greater influence on microhardness than the scanning speed variation. Micro-cutting, plastic deformation, crater formation besides ploughing away of the softer matrix were the typical fracture features associated with slurry eroded clads when examined under field-emission scanning electron microscope. Results of the slurry erosive wear tests showed that the clads pertaining to low laser power and high scanning speed exhibited superior wear resistance as compared to their counterparts.