Experimental Investigation of Al-CuMgMn Alloy Developed by Laser Beam Surface Modification for Wear Resistance

Abstract

Laser surface alloying is one of the recent technologies used in the manufacturing sector for improving the surface properties of metals. Aluminum alloys are key materials in the manufacturing sector. This favors their high demand in many industries. In this study investigation, the surface alloying of pure aluminum was conducted using a CO2 laser. Four types of alloying powders were used with a 2:1:1 combination of copper, magnesium, and manganese. The hardness of the alloyed zones of Al-CuMgMn increased by 2 to 7 times at a 1.7 kW processing laser power. To assess the rate of wear for the alloyed samples, a modified Lancaster wear coefficient was considered. When the pin-on-disc wear test at 10 N and 20 N loads was analyzed with different sliding speeds, a reduction in wear by 30–50% appeared due to surface alloying. The result shows good insight into the wear behavior. In the same way, microstructure and surface morphology studies displayed a good metallurgical bonding without defects. In a statistical sense, the friction and wear behavior matched with an asperity-based model. The experimental results revealed that laser surface alloy has more wear resistance.