EFFECT OF PULSE LASER ENERGY DENSITY ON TiC CLADDING OF ALUMINIUM SUBSTRATE

Original scientific paper In this work, TiC cladded layer has been produced by laser scanning over the preplaced TiC powder on aluminium substrate, using a pulse Nd:YAG laser. Depending on the effective energy density at the specimen surface, TiC was deposited or partially dispersed into the melted aluminium at the specimen surface. Microstructure was evaluated using optical microscopy and SEM/EDS analysis. Depth of laser cladded layer and microhardness measurements have been deliberated at the cross-section of laser cladded specimens. Effect of pulse laser energy density on cladding layer depth, microhardness, surface roughness and waviness has been studied. From the experimental analysis it is revealed that effective energy density has a significant effect on the TiC cladded surface roughness and waviness, but very little on microhardness of the cladded layer.