Superficial Remelting of Cast Iron by Laser Radiation

Abstract:

A rarely applied technology of surface modifications is the remelting of surfaces by a laser beam. This is so because in the case of laser remelting of surfaces, similarly to other processes used in production, such a competitive alternative surface modification technology is searched for in which the value in use of the component with new properties created by the new procedure is in proportion with the costs and time requirement needed for its production. According to such a point of view, a laser remelting of a surface is in general not worth applying this expensive technology, since the change, the improvement in the properties as a result of remelting is not sufficiently large. However, the laser remelting of cast iron surfaces represents a specific case, since the nature of the surface of this relatively cheap (as compared to cast steel) material of advantageous properties can be changed significantly by this technology. In addition, by the treatment with laser beam, an extraordinarily particular material structure unknown in mass production can be developed. This is why we turned our attention to the specificities and properties of this structure formed during laser beam treatment of cast iron surfaces.