Characterization of the Laser Clad Stellite 6 Layers on AISI 420 Martensitic Stainless Steel

Two stellite layers were produced as protective coatings by a 1.5 Kw CO2 continous wave laser remelting of the stellite 6 powders on plates of AISI 420 martensitic stainless steel in Ar environment and investigated experimentally. Scanning electron microscopic microphotographs and EDS analysis reveal a strong metallurgical bond between the substrate and coating as well as the structural homogeneity along the depth of the layers which is characterized by a chemical composition close to that of the powder. The laser clad layers show a dendritic and fine grained structure with a minor presence of impurities. For the coatings an improvement of mechanical properties such as the wear resistance and microhardness values compared to those of substrate is observed. Also it is obtained that corrosion resistance is increased so much.