Cast Iron Structures Produced by Laser Surface Melting and Alloying

Abstract

Laser surface melting and alloying provide a flexible route for modifying surface structures and properties. Potential technological benefits include improvement of properties such as resistance to corrosion and wear. The technique can also be used to obtain basic structural information for materials solidified over a range of rapid solidification rates. Laser surface melting of cast irons has been quite widely investigated [e.g. 1–4] using various initial structural states, including flake and spheroidal graphite irons; substantial surface hardening has been achieved from the white iron structures resulting from the rapid solidification. In the field of laser surface alloying a number of investigations have used ferrous substrates [5–9].