Study on Thermal Fatigue Resistance of Non-Smooth Cast Iron Treated by Laser Surface Alloying of CrNi Powders

Abstract

The past studies indicated that thermal fatigue resistance of cast irons could be improved by partly laser melting treatment. However the only disadvantage of this technology is that the enhancement of thermal fatigue resistance would be limited because of the fixed chemical composition of sample matrix. For this purpose, the laser surface alloying of CrNi was selected for changing both the compositions and the microstructures of laser treated zone, and the effects of alloy powder compositions on thermal fatigue behavior were also investigated in this paper. The results indicate that the alloy elements distribute homogeneously, and their contents increase markedly in the non-smooth unit on the alloyed layer. The non-smooth unit is strengthened further compared with laser melting treatment. Thermal fatigue resistance of cast iron is enhanced evidently by laser surface alloying of CrNi powders, and for all samples tested, those treated with 25%Cr-75%Ni powders have the best thermal fatigue resistance.