Comparison of the Erosive Wear Resistance of Ductile Cast Iron Following Laser Surface Melting and Alloying

Abstract

This article presents research results on the influence of the laser surface melting and alloying processes on the erosive wear resistance of ductile cast iron. For the research, an EN-GJS 350-22 ductile cast iron surface was laser-melted and laser-alloyed with titanium powder in an argon and nitrogen atmosphere. Solid-particle erosion tests were carried out on the laser-melted and -alloyed surface layers and the base material according to the ASTM G76-04 standard with 30° and 90° impingement angles. The erosive wear resistance results were correlated with Vickers hardness and microstructural test results with the use of SEM (scanning electron microscopy), TEM (transmission electron microscopy), EDS (energy dispersive spectroscopy), and XRD (X-ray diffraction). The mechanisms of erosive wear were also analyzed for the laser-treated surface layers and the base material. The research showed that the laser melting and alloying processes with titanium powder had a positive effect on the hardness and erosive wear resistance of the ductile cast iron surface due to microstructure modification. Moreover, despite the lower hardness of the laser-alloyed surface layers, their composite microstructure had a positive impact on the erosive wear resistance in comparison to the laser-melted surface layers.