On the formation features, structure, microhardness and tribological behavior of single tracks and coating layers formed by laser cladding of Al-Fe powder bronze

In this paper, the effect of the gas flow and pressure on the powder flow, as well as the effect of the conditions of laser cladding on the microstructure, phase composition, microhardness and tribological behavior of an Al-Fe powder bronze coating, is studied. The features of single tracks, single- and double-layer coatings are described. The speed of a laser beam, the pitch of the single track and the distance between the nozzle and the coated surface affect the microstructure and microhardness of the coating. These parameters are more stable for double-layer coatings because a denser coating with better fusing along the grain boundaries is formed as a result of secondary melting. Under dry friction conditions, with deposition speeds less than 140–160 mm/min, the coefficient of the friction is stable and significantly lower compared with cast aluminium bronzes. In such conditions, the wear resistance of the coating increases with the increase in deposition speed. With further speed increases, a substantial rise in the friction coefficient in time and a substantial seizure of friction surfaces are observed. Under lubricated friction conditions, when the load increases from 120 N to 360 N, that is, where the pressure on the contact surface increases from 1.75 to 5.3 MPa, a sharp increase in the wear rate occurs with a deposition speed of 120 mm/min almost 130-fold and for a speed of 140 mm/min ~9-fold. •Optimal sizes of Al-Fe bronze particles for laser cladding are determined.•Deposition speed and distance affect single track sizes and microstructure considerably.•Microhardness distribution over the track and layer depth depends on cladding parameters.•The friction coefficients and wear rates under different conditions were found.