Laser Surface Hardening Research Articles

Map of surface hardening of the DP600 steel using the Yb:fiber laser, and force spectroscopy characterization

In dual-phase (DP) steels, the morphology, distribution, and volume fraction of the martensite phase affect several properties of the metal. In this work, the DP600 steel was laser treated using an Yb:fiber laser with different process parameters. The objective was to map the laser surface hardening and construct a process chart. Additionally, force spectroscopy was proposed to evaluate microstructural phases stiffness. The elastic constant of ferrite from both the base material and the laser treated area was approximately the same, about 20% lower than that of martensite from the treated area. From the processes chart, conclusion was more intense hardening, with needle-like structures, but in thinner layers, requires specific energies of about 2.0 kJ/cm2, while greater volume of martensitic phase is accomplished at 4.0 kJ/cm2. Tensile yield increased 30%, though tensile strength augmented 5–10%. In addition, lower laser scanning velocities was more suitable to obtain greater volumes of martensite.

Laser surface hardening of SS316L

Laser surface hardening is one of the effective method to enhance the mechanical properties of localised surface area of engineering parts made of different types of steels and other metals like titanium etc. Laser surface hardening has many advantages over conventional hardening process like, self-quenching, very fast, control over energy input and localised hardening etc. This work presents the effect of different laser parameters on the micro hardness of SS316L after laser hardening. The experimental work was carried out using 30W Diode-pumped nanosecond (ns) pulsed laser. Design of Experiments One Variable at a Time (OVAT) approach was used for experimentation. Laser power, laser scanning speed, frequency and number of passes were the process parameters used for the experiments. Effects of these parameters over the micro hardness of the surface are described. Along with this, discussion of features of microstructures using optical microscope are done. It has been found that, there is around 25% increase in hardness after laser hardening. Hardened depth up to 400 microns was obtained.

Laser surface hardening of steel parts

The hardness of steel parts after laser treatment depends on a number of factors. In this paper, attention is focused on the surface heating temperature. The aim of the study is to make a reasonable choice of heating temperature. The results of physical modeling are presented. It is established that the temperature of the phase transformation decreases by 150 … 200 K. This is due to thermal stresses. The kinetics and mechanism of transformation during laser processing affect the formation of the structure. Heating to a temperature 200.250 K below the melting point leads to an increase in hardness by 10-15 HRC units.

Laser transformation hardening of various steel grades using different laser types

Laser surface hardening has become a promising replacement technique for conventional heat treatment. The laser is a heat source, deployed with optics to modify the surface along with the desired geometry. Laser density and its interaction time can be controlled and varied depending upon the final requirement at the surface. Increased hardness, diffusion-less phase transformation, self-quenching, uniform case depth over the entire scanned area are the reasons for laser-assisted hardening to become very popular and successful. Another reason for its success is that there is no bulk transformation of the material; only selected regions are subjected to laser irradiation for better surface improvements. This paper is a precis of various investigations done with a gas type CO2 laser, a solid-state Nd: YAG laser, high-power diode laser and fiber laser (only Continuous Wave mode) over a variety of steel grades. Laser wavelength, power intensity, transverse/scanning speed, focal plane distance, surrounding atmosphere, pre-treated surface and surface absorptivity are parameters involved in laser surface hardening technique. By varying these independent variables, the desired surface property is achieved on the substrate subjected. A significant analysis of various experimental investigations done in this area is provided. Particular reference is made to surface hardening using different lasers as mentioned above. Although laser hardening is a potential technique for enhancing the surface properties, multi-track hardening/back tempering of the large surface area is still a concern and needs some attention. The main reason is a decrease in hardness in the overlap region. Various studies indicate that a single-track laser hardened region results in 3- or 4-times higher hardness than that of the original or base metal hardness. In contrast, in the overlapped region, the hardness value decreases, i.e., the difference between the hardness values at the single-track hardened region and an overlapped region is around 100–400 HV. This article reviews the chronological development of laser transformation hardening method explicitly by outlining the effect of process parameters on hardened depth and width, hardening influence in wear and corrosion resistance, numerical simulation and experimental validation techniques. Particular reference is made to CW (continuous wave) type laser hardening.

Study of the influence of the oscillation frequency on the surface hardening process of the 42CrMo4 alloy using an oscillating laser beam

A study of the surface hardening process of the 42CrMo4 steel alloy by means of an oscillating laser beam has been carried out. For this purpose, a fiber coupled high power diode laser source and a galvanometric mirror scanner have been used. The study is focused on determining the influence of the oscillation frequency parameter on the temperature, geometry, microstructure, microhardness and stress state of the treated region, as well as its relationship with the key parameters of the laser hardening process. The results confirm that the surface hardening process of the 42CrMo4 alloy by means of an oscillating laser beam is an alternative technique to the conventional laser surface hardening methods based on fixed optical guidance systems. On the other hand, the selected frequency of oscillation has a significant influence on the treated region, mainly on the temperature, and, consequently, on the geometry, microstructure and stress state of the same. The selection of a high oscillation frequency, able to maintain the material temperature above that of austenization and below that of melting, is decisive to ensure the stability and uniformity of the treatment.

Experimental investigation on a novel approach for laser surface hardening modelling

Laser surface hardening is rapidly growing in industrial applications due to its high flexibility, accuracy, cleanness and energy efficiency. However, the experimental process optimization can be a tricky task due to the number of involved parameters, thus suggesting for alternative approaches such as reliable numerical simulations. Conventional laser hardening models compute the achieved hardness on the basis of microstructure predictions due to carbon diffusion during the process heat thermal cycle. Nevertheless, this approach is very time consuming and not allows to simulate real complex products during laser treatments. To overcome this limitation, a novel simplified approach for laser surface hardening modelling is presented and discussed. The basic assumption consists in neglecting the austenite homogenization due to the short time and the insufficient carbon diffusion during the heating phase of the process. In the present work, this assumption is experimentally verified through nano-hardness measurements on C45 carbon steel samples both laser and oven treated by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM) technique.

Sliding wear behavior of laser surface hardened austempered ductile iron

This study describes the laser surface hardening process effect on microstructures produced and their wear behavior. Ductile iron samples were austempered at three different austempering temperatures: 232 °C/288 °C/398 °C respectively. Then, the laser surface hardening process was applied on each sample. Different laser gaps were designed: 1.5mm/3mm/4 mm. The microstructures were observed using optical microscopy and tribo-tests were run using a UMT-3 tribo tester. A Rockwell hardness tester was used to measure the hardness after heat-treatment. Optical microscopy and SEM were used to observe the different microstructures and their distribution on the worn surface. The results showed that the laser processing generated ledeburite, martensite, or tempered bainite microstructures. Vickers hardness tests were carried out on these microstructures. The original needle-like microstructures were observed on the samples with 4 mm laser gap but not with 1.5 mm or 3 mm laser gap. This is because part of the 4 mm laser gap is beyond the laser heat effected zone. Generally, severe ploughing wear and smearing wear were observed on the tempered bainite zone but not the bainite zone. Debris was generated during the tribo-tests and led to three body abrasive wear which not only resulted in higher wear loss, but also polished the worn surface.

Influence of Nd:YAG Laser Energy on Mechanical properties of Nitriding Steel

Desired mechanical properties like microstructure, micro hardness and wear resistance are the key parameters for which low carbon steel (AISI 1006) are widely selected. Surface heat treatment applied to improve these properties; traditionally surface heat treatments like induction hardening, in recent time’s laser surface hardening. In this work, thermochemical treatment (liquid nitriding) by using mixture from 61% NaCN, 15% K2CO3 and 24% KCL and followed by Nd:YAG laser surface treatment was done . The laser parameter were energy (0.89, 2, 4 and 9) J, spot diameter (0.790 ,0.33, 0.283 and 0.224) mm, pulses duration (1, 2.33, 4.47 and 9.87) ms with fix wavelength 1604nm. Laser surface treatment cycle was melting the layer surface, holding and rapid cooling in air medium. Optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) has been used to study the microstructures and cross-sectional of molted and heat affected zones respectively. The wear test was done to measure the wear rate by using pin -on-disk principles were satisfied. The result shown that increasing in laser energy effects to increase in the area of melted and heat affected zones of nitriding steel. Also increasing in laser energy led to increase micro hardness about 61%, while wear rate decrease about 40 % and increased depth of molted zone.

PHYSICO-MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF THE HYDRO-INJECTOR’S OPERATION OF THE DAIRY PROCESSING PLANTS’ WASHING SYSTEM

The article discusses the prospects of using combined thermal deformation surface processing to improve the performance properties of metal products. There is a new method of thermal deformation surface hardening (shot peening (SP) followed by laser heat treatment (LHT)) for tools and crown housings operating under difficult conditions proposed. For carrying out experimental studies, flat samples of 30KhGSA steel and steel 45 were selected. Preliminary hardening and finishing with static or dynamic methods of surface plastic deformation were carried out on a modernized installation based on a DYNAMITE 2800 numerical control machine, and SP was implemented on industrial equipment. Laser surface hardening of the samples was carried out in single passes with a sample moving speed of 300...500 mm/min with a laser beam diameter of 7.3 mm and a laser power of 1 kW using the ROFIN-SINAR DY 044 technological unit. The optimal regimes of surface hardening are determined under the deformation action of a gas-dynamic flow with solid particles and thermal action by a laser beam to obtain maximum values ​​of hardening depth and hardness. In particular, with SP, the gas-feed stream feed pressure is 0.5 MPa, the processing time is 1 min, regardless of the type of material. The optimal laser beam power is 1 kW at a sample travel speed of 300 mm/min. There are the results of experimental studies of the change in the hardening depth as a function of time and pressure after SP, the speed of movement of the treated sample from carbon steel 45 and medium alloyed steel 30KhGSA after LHT and combined SP+LHT, and also the distribution of microhardness over the depth of the hardened layer presented. It is revealed that the combined SP+LHT of 30 KhGSA steel at optimal modes forms 1.5 times (1.3 mm) greater depth of the strengthened surface layer in comparison with LHT, while providing the surface layer hardness of ~5400 MPa.

INCREASING THE EFFICIENCY OF SURFACE STRENGTHENING OF METAL PRODUCTS BY COMBINED THERMODEFORMATION PROCESSING

The article discusses the prospects of using combined thermal deformation surface processing to improve the performance properties of metal products. There is a new method of thermal deformation surface hardening (shot peening (SP) followed by laser heat treatment (LHT)) for tools and crown housings operating under difficult conditions proposed. For carrying out experimental studies, flat samples of 30KhGSA steel and steel 45 were selected. Preliminary hardening and finishing with static or dynamic methods of surface plastic deformation were carried out on a modernized installation based on a DYNAMITE 2800 numerical control machine, and SP was implemented on industrial equipment. Laser surface hardening of the samples was carried out in single passes with a sample moving speed of 300...500 mm/min with a laser beam diameter of 7.3 mm and a laser power of 1 kW using the ROFIN-SINAR DY 044 technological unit. The optimal regimes of surface hardening are determined under the deformation action of a gas-dynamic flow with solid particles and thermal action by a laser beam to obtain maximum values ​​of hardening depth and hardness. In particular, with SP, the gas-feed stream feed pressure is 0.5 MPa, the processing time is 1 min, regardless of the type of material. The optimal laser beam power is 1 kW at a sample travel speed of 300 mm/min. There are the results of experimental studies of the change in the hardening depth as a function of time and pressure after SP, the speed of movement of the treated sample from carbon steel 45 and medium alloyed steel 30KhGSA after LHT and combined SP+LHT, and also the distribution of microhardness over the depth of the hardened layer presented. It is revealed that the combined SP+LHT of 30 KhGSA steel at optimal modes forms 1.5 times (1.3 mm) greater depth of the strengthened surface layer in comparison with LHT, while providing the surface layer hardness of ~5400 MPa.

Wear and corrosion behavior of P20 steel surface modified by gas nitriding with laser surface engineering

Gas nitriding and laser surface engineering are popular technologies to improve the surface performance of steels. This study evaluates the effect of duplex treatment of gas nitriding and laser surface engineering on surface hardness, wear and corrosion resistance of P20 plastic mold steel. It is found that gas nitriding at 550 °C for 20 h with nitrogen potential of 0.18 generates a nitrided layer without nitrides, which drastically improves the wear resistance. Simultaneously, the corrosion resistance is also marginal improved by the gas nitriding. Laser surface hardening further elevates the surface hardness and wear resistance of the nitrided layer due to the formation of martensite. Besides, a small amount of austenite retains in surface layer after laser surface hardening, which may lead to the galvanic attack at the phase interface between martensite and retained austenite and deteriorate the surface corrosion resistance. Laser surface melting results in the denitrification of nitrided layer and the formation of holes at the bottom of melted layer, thus reducing the surface hardness and wear resistance. Meanwhile, the denitrified surface layer also exhibits a degraded corrosion resistance owe to the decreasing nitrogen content and the formation of mixed structure of martensite and retained austenite.

Short thermal cycle treatment with laser of vanadium microalloyed steels

Abstract Improvement of crankshaft fatigue properties can be approached by altering its mechanical properties in the surface, such as laser surface treatment. Laser beam treatment offers efficient and precise surface hardening processing with possibility of reducing the production cost compared to the conventional hardening techniques. However, its characteristic of having short thermal cycle can be a challenge for the development of laser surface hardening techniques, such as inadequacy of literatures in phase transformation and resulting mechanical properties under rapid heating and cooling rate. Therefore, this work investigated the impact of short thermal cycles induced by the laser beam on the resulting microstructure and hardness properties in the surface of 38MnSiVS5 and 44MnSiVS6 microalloyed steels. Temperature cycles during the process were recorded and examined with the resulting microstructure along with microhardness values. 44MnSiVS6 microalloyed steel, which contains ca. double the amount of vanadium compared to 38MnSiVS5 steel, produces finer ferrite grains in the treated area for all investigated short thermal cycles. This fine-grained microstructure leads to steady hardness distributions in the treated area. The short thermal cycle was assumed to be unable to dissolve the vanadium precipitates that reside in the ferrite grains, which then initiate precipitation hardening.

Laser Surface Hardening of Ni-hard White Cast Iron

Laser surface treatment on two different types of nickel–chromium white cast iron (Ni-hard) alloys (Ni-hard 1 and Ni-hard 4) was investigated. Nd:YAG laser of 2.2-kw with continuous wave was used. Ni-hard alloys are promising engineering materials, which are extensively used in applications where good resistance to abrasion wear is essential. The conventional hardening of such alloys leads to high wear resistance nevertheless, the core of the alloy suffers from low toughness. Therefore, it would be beneficial to harden the surface via laser surface technology which keeps the core tough enough to resist high impact shocks. A laser power of different levels (600, 800 and 1000 Watts) corresponding to three different laser scanning speeds (3, 4 and 5 m·min−1) was adopted hoping to reach optimum conditions for wear resistance and impact toughness. The optimum condition for both properties was recorded at heat input of 16.78 J·mm−2. The present findings reflect that the microhardness values and wear resistance clearly increased after laser hardening by almost three times due to laser surface hardening, whereas, the impact toughness was increased from five joules obtained from conventionally heat-treated samples to 6.4 J as gained from laser-treated samples.

Effects of quench-tempering and laser hardening treatment on wear resistance of gray cast iron

The present research studied the combined effects of quench-tempering and laser surface hardening treatments on wear behavior of gray cast iron, and compared results with conventional austempered gray cast iron. Four tempering temperatures of 316 °C (600 °F), 399 °C (750 °F), 482 °C (900 °F) or 552 °C (1025 °F) with a constant holding time of 60 min and four austempering temperatures of 232 °C (450 °F), 288 °C (550 °F), 343 °C (650 °F) or 399 °C (750 °F) with a constant holding time of 120 min were utilized in the heat treatment design. The wear tests were carried out on a universal mechanical tribometer with a reciprocating ball-on-plate sliding configuration. Also, the microstructure, micro-hardness profiles and worn tracks were examined. Through this work, it was found that three zones existed under the laser hardened surface. Zone 1 was the laser hardened zone containing ledeburite with hardness of approximately 68HRC. Zone 2 was the heat affected zone containing the martensite with hardness of approximately 66HRC. Zone 3 was the substrate with hardness ranging from 42.1 to 24.8HRC. In the sliding wear tests, the quench-tempering treatment only resulted in higher wear resistance of gray cast iron when compared with untreated specimens, but lower wear resistance than that of austempered gray cast iron under similar macro-hardness. The wear performance of the quench-tempered gray cast iron was enhanced after receiving the laser surface hardening treatment. Finally, the laser hardened and quench-tempered gray cast iron with tempering temperature of 552 °C showed similar mass loss due to wear as austempered gray cast iron with an austempering temperature of 232 °C. By observing the worn surfaces, the laser hardened regions could effectively inhibit the formation and propagation of cracks developed within the substrate regions. In addition, the substrate with low hardness in laser hardened and quench-tempered gray cast iron may provide enhanced ductility and toughness for gray cast iron engineering components. The results obtained in this research have significant value in selecting the optimum heat treatment process for laser hardened gray cast iron components.

Comparison of Wear Performance of Austempered and Quench-Tempered Gray Cast Irons Enhanced by Laser Hardening Treatment

The current research studied the effects of laser surface hardening treatment on the phase transformation and wear properties of gray cast irons heat treated by austempering or quench-tempering, respectively. Three austempering temperatures of 232 °C, 288 °C, and 343 °C with a constant holding duration of 120 min and three tempering temperatures of 316 °C, 399 °C, and 482 °C with a constant holding duration of 60 min were utilized to prepare austempered and quench-tempered gray cast iron specimens with equivalent macro-hardness values. A ball-on-flat reciprocating wear test configuration was used to investigate the wear resistance of austempered and quench-tempered gray cast iron specimens before and after applying laser surface-hardening treatment. The phase transformation, hardness, mass loss, and worn surfaces were evaluated. There were four zones in the matrix of the laser-hardened austempered gray cast iron. Zone 1 contained ledeburite without the presence of graphite flakes. Zone 2 contained martensite and had a high hardness, which was greater than 67 HRC. Zone 4 was the substrate containing the acicular ferrite and carbon-saturated austenite with a hardness of 41–27 HRC. In Zone 3, the substrate was tempered by the low thermal radiation. For the laser-hardened quench-tempered gray cast iron specimens, three zones were observed beneath the laser-hardened surface. Zone 1 also contained ledeburite, and Zone 2 was full martensite. Zone 3 was the substrate containing the tempered martensite. The tempered martensite became coarse with increasing tempering temperature due to the decomposition of the as-quenched martensite and precipitation of cementite particles. In the wear tests, the gray cast iron specimens without heat treatment had the highest wear loss. The wear performance was improved by applying quench-tempering heat treatment and further enhanced by applying austempering heat treatment. Austempered gray cast iron specimens had lower mass loss than the quench-tempered gray cast iron specimens, which was attributed to the high fracture toughness of acicular ferrite and stable austenite. After utilizing the laser surface hardening treatment, both austempered and quench-tempered gray cast iron specimens had decreased wear loss due to the high surface protection provided by the ledeburitic and martensitic structures with high hardness. In the worn surfaces, it was found that cracks were the dominant wear mechanism. The results of this work have significant value in the future applications of gray cast iron engineering components and provide valuable references for future studies on laser-hardened gray cast iron.

Effects of Laser Hardening Process Parameters on Hardness Profile of 4340 Steel Spline—An Experimental Approach

This study displays the effect of laser surface hardening parameters on the hardness profile (case depth) of a splined shaft made of AISI 4340 steel. The approach is mainly based on experimental tests wherein the hardness profile of laser hardened splines is acquired using micro-hardness measurements. These results are then evaluated with statistical analysis (ANOVA) to determine the principal effect and the contributions of each parameter in the laser hardening process. Using empirical correlations, the case depth of splined shaft at tip and root of spline’s teeth is also estimated and verified with measured data. The obtained results were then used to study the sensitivity of the measured case depths according to the evolution of laser process parameters and geometrical factors. The feasibility and efficiency of the proposed approach lead to a reliable statistical model in which the hardness profile of the spline is estimated with respect to its specific geometry.

The effect of laser surface hardening on the surface hardness of mild steel

Laser surface hardening (LSH) has become the most vital process in order to increase the hardness of a mild steel surface, especially to overcome the wear issues in machining parts, where mild steel was hugely applied. This is due to its advantages such as less air pollution, low cost of maintenance and easy to handle compared to other conventional surface hardening process. The laser surface hardening of mild steel has been performed using fibre laser machine which is having a maximum peak power of 30 Watt, with 1060 nm of wavelength above the surface of mild steel having dimension of 15 × 15 × 6 mm. The Vickers hardness test on the laser hardened surface of this metal were measured by a load of 0.5 kgf and 10 seconds dwell time for ten indention points, randomly. It was found that the highest average microhardness value was 281.72 HV on the surface of sample hardened by a laser power of 21 Watt and 40 mm/s scanning speed. Across the cross sectional area, the affected hardened depth was measured at 19 ± 2.5 µm from the surface. In this region, the fine martensitic grain structure was observed, which contributes to the higher microhardness value. Higher laser power produced higher surface hardness, meanwhile higher scanning speed lead to lower surface hardness.

Influence of complex geometries on the properties of laser-hardened surfaces

Laser surface hardening provides for many advantages in terms of flexible production due to very localized and controlled energy input into the material. Laser processing offers the possibility to treat surfaces in order to locally strengthen the areas that are prone to fatigue cracking. It is well known that laser energy absorption depends on many parameters, e.g., the surface structure and the surface orientation. The incident angle of the laser beam plays a key role in this regard. When complex geometries like crankshaft fillets are treated, the surface cannot be considered a series of flat surfaces. Obviously, this leads to locally varying degrees of energy absorption. In the present work, curved surface structures were chosen in order to analyze the impact of the geometrical characteristics on surface and subsurface material properties after laser treatment. Microstructure evolution generally was found to be similar for flat and curved geometries. However, even if higher absorption in the groove due to the illumination at larger incident angles was expected, the outer parts of the curved geometry were not fully hardened. Thus, the increased effective length of the complex geometry-treated and the larger heat-affected volume are expected to have a more dominant influence on the final appearance of the subsurface microstructure. Eventually, for austenitization of the complete illuminated surface volume, the energy density needs to be increased.

Inverse estimation of heat input in laser surface hardening with a dual-phase-lag model

This study deals with the application of the conjugate gradient method for estimating the unknown time-dependent heat input in laser surface hardening based on the dual-phase-lag model. Subsequently, inverse variations of temperature at the heated surface can be obtained. Simulated experimental data, needed for the inverse analysis, are generated by adding random errors to the calculated exact temperatures for the boundary and interior of the medium. Two examples are considered to illustrate the accuracy of the proposed method. The influence of the measurement error and the measurement location upon precision of the estimated results is also investigated. Results show that an excellent estimation on the time-dependent laser heat input can be obtained with any arbitrary initial guess for the test cases considered in this study.

Surface hardening characteristics of press die cast iron and plastic mold steel according to laser heat input

In this study, the surface heat treatment of mold materials was performed using a high-power laser heat source and surface hardening characteristics were investigated. Laser surface heat treatment is a hardening method in which a surface is heated using high-density energy and self-quenched through rapid cooling. Hence, the heat input during laser heat treatment is important. The heat input for the surface hardening of each material was compared, and it was found that the heat input for each mold material was different. Additionally, die cast iron has higher thermal conductivity compared to mold steel, resulting in a larger heat input during heat treatment.