Erosion behavior of laser cladded Colmonoy-6 + 50%WC on SS410 steel under accelerated slurry erosion testing

Abstract

Erosion due to slurry has an indispensable effect on the lifespan and operating efficiency of hydro machine components. To mitigate this effect, laser cladding may prove as a cost-effective choice to improve the surface properties of various hydro machine components. In this research work, a laser cladding of Colmonoy-6 + 50%WC powder on the surface of SS410 steel was deposited using high-power diode laser at optimized levels of operating parameters. The deposited coating was characterized with regard to different mechanical and metallurgical properties. The effect of various factors such as slurry concentration, erodent particle size, impact velocity, and impact angle on slurry erosion behavior of uncoated and laser cladded substrate was analyzed. The Colmonoy-6 + 50%WC cladded specimens exhibited significantly better slurry erosion resistance in comparison with uncoated SS410 steel specimens under all slurry erosion conditions. Impact velocity was observed to be a maximum contributor to slurry erosion, followed by impact angle, average particle size and slurry concentration. The SEM micrographs of eroded cladded surfaces showed signatures of lip formation & fracture sites, micro-cutting, ploughing, and wear marks at a shallow impact angle in Colmonoy-6 pool, however, for normal impact, the existence of cracks in WC particles were observed.