Laser alloying of bearing steel with boron and self-lubricating addition

Abstract

Abstract 100CrMnSi6-4 bearing steel has been widely used for many applications, e.g. rolling bearings which work in difficult operating conditions. Therefore, this steel has to be characterized by special properties such as high wear resistance and high hardness. In this study laser-boriding was applied to improve these properties. Laser alloying was conducted as the two step process with two different types of alloying material: amorphous boron only and amorphous boron with addition of calcium fluoride CaF2. At first, the surface was coated with paste including alloying material. Second step of the process consisted in laser re-melting. The surface of sample, coated with the paste, was irradiated by the laser beam. In this study, TRUMPF TLF 2600 Turbo CO2 laser was used. The microstructure, microhardness and wear resistance of both laser-borided layer and laser-borided layer with the addition of calcium fluoride were investigated. The layer, alloyed with boron and CaF2, was characterized by higher wear resistance than the layer after laser boriding only.