Influence of Scanning Speed on Microstructure and Hardness during Laser Cladding High-Cr Cast Iron

The experiments of laser cladding on the surface of 20 steel were made. High-chromium (Cr) cast iron powder was used as cladding material. The microstructure and hardness of laser cladding layers under different scanning speed were studied. The experiments showed that high-Cr cast iron cladding layer had better properties such as minute crystals, high density, no crack, no gas cavity and good metallurgical bonding with base metal. When the scanning speed was low, such as 10mm/min, the microstructure of cladding layer was cellular dendrite. There were much carbide with the shape of fish-bone distributing among cellular grains. Under higher scanning speed (from 100mm/min to 300mm/min), needle-shaped primary cementite would come into being. When laser scanning speed was 500mm/min, the carbide of cladding zone was very thin. With the increasing of laser scanning speed, the average hardness of cladding zone increased from 388HV0.2 to 580 HV0.2.