Study on laser carburizing and laser boron-carburizing of the #20 steel surface

In this paper, the exerimental procedures are presented for carburizing and boron-carburizing the #20 steel surface using a CW CO 2 laser with an output power of 500–2000 W modulated CW. We also give a comprehensive analysis of the phase structure, the phase morphology, the distribution profile of the hardness and the resistance to abrasion of the sample after laser treatment. The experimental results indicate that the microstructure, the mechanical properties and the chemical composition in the surface layer of material will basically change. Furthermore, a preliminary discussion of the strengthening mechanism of the penetrating element by laser irradiation is also presented.