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of
FOUNDRY ENGINEERING
Published quarterly as the organ of the Foundry Commission of the Polish Academy of Sciences

ISSN (1897-3310)
Volume 8
Issue 2/2008
175 179

38/2

Laser alloying of the plain carbon steel

surface layer
A. Radziszewska*, J. Kusiski
a

Faculty of Metals Engineering and Industrial Computer Science, AGH University of Science and Technology,
30 Mickiewicza Ave., 30-059 Cracow, Poland
*Corresponding author. E-mail address: radzisze@agh.edu.pl
Received 08.02.2008; accepted in revised form 29.02.2008

Abstract
As an example of the types of features observed after laser alloying, the addition of Ta to mild carbon steel is described. The system is
of interest because such alloying is beneficial in improving surface related properties. The paper describes the microstructure and
properties (phase and chemical composition, microhardness) of the laser alloyed surface layer. In the investigation the optical microscope,
the scanning electron microscope (SEM), chemical (EDS microanalysis) composition and microhardness testing methods have been used.
Specimens of 0,17 %C plain steel were coated with Ta powder layers. The paints containing organic components were used as the binders
during deposition of Ta powder layers on the sample surface. The thickness of Ta deposited layers amounted to 0,16 mm. The specimens
were then swept through high power (of nominal power 2,5 kW) CW CO2 laser radiation at different speeds.
The surface alloyed layers varied in microstructure consisted of fiber like Ta2C + eutectics, chemical composition and microhardness.
The EDS analyses revealed the enrichment of tantalum in the laser alloyed zone (LAZ). The changes of process parameters had an
influence on the hardness of alloyed surface layers: by increasing scanning velocity (from 12 mm/s to 20 mm/s) and decreasing laser
power (from 1,8 kW to 1,35 kW), the hardness diminished. The wear tests were also carried out which showed that laser alloying of plain
carbon steel surface layer led to improvement of their wear resistance.
Keywords: Surface treatment; Laser alloying; Tantalum; Microstructure; Microhardness.

1. Introduction
Modern industrial applications require parts with special
properties such as high corrosion and wear resistance and
hardness. The most effective and economical approach to improve
surface ability of machine parts and high surface stresses is by
creating surface layers that would possess a high level of
corrosion and wear resistance. In this way unique service
characteristics can be obtained such as a combination of high
surface hardness with high impact strength of the bulk. Tantalum
has a large affinity to carbon and very easily forms carbides. It
results in that tantalum carbide (Ta2C) dissolves in austenite at
high temperatures above 1100 oC. Material which is alloyed with

tantalum possess a good high-temperature stability. In connection

with the addition of tantalum to the carbon steels allows to apply
them in electronics, optics. The alloyed surface layers of materials
have application also in: vacuum furnaces, as heat exchanger and
capacitors [1-4].
The modified surface thus produced can have superior chemical,
physical or mechanical properties. The depth of the alloy zone can
be controlled by the power and the dwell time of the laser beam.
Depending upon the type of alloy required at the surface, a lessexpensive base material can be locally modified to improve
resistance to corrosion, erosion, wear and oxidation [5, 6]. This
paper presents the results of the selected properties like the
microstructure, microhardness, phase and chemical composition,
wear resistance of laser alloyed surface layer of plain carbon steel.

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2. Experimental details

3. Results and discussion

The examinations consisted in melting of the coating of

tantalum powder with organic paint and the surface of plain
carbon steel. Subsequently the Ta layer and the bulk material
were melted with the aid of laser beam.
The nominal composition of the steel which was used in our
experiements is given in Table 1. The samples were available in
the form of slabs 10 mm thick, 26 mm wide and 300 mm long.
The specimens were coated using Ta powder layers. Paints
containing organic components were used as binders during
deposition of Ta powder layers on the sample surface. The
particle size of the Ta powder amounted to 10-15 m.

Laser surface alloyed layer has been composed of two well

defined zones: laser alloyed zone (LAZ) and heat affected zone
(HAZ) (Fig. 1). The influence of laser output power and scanning
velocity on dimensions and microstructure of the laser-alloyed
layer was evident. With increased scanning velocity the laser
beam-sample interaction time decreases and less laser energy is
absorbed by the irradiated material. The same is true with
decreasing output power. In consequence, decreased the
dimension of alloyed surface layer (Fig. 1, 2). Indeed, the size of
the laser alloyed and heat affected zones decreased too as seen by
Komvopoulos et. al. [7]. The laser beam melts only the
predeposited layer of Ta and a limited thin layer of the base
material. As a result the melted zone was rich in Ta.

Table 1.
Nominal chemical composition of steel in weight percent
Chemical composition [wt. %]
C

Mn

Si

Cr

Ni

Mo

Cu

Al

Fe

0.17 0.55 0.21 0.006 0.006 0.08 0.13 0.04 0.19 0.028 rest
The thickness of the coating (g) was 0,16 mm. The laser
alloying was done using a CW CO2 laser of a nominal power of
2,5 kW. Different laser power and scanning velocity combinations
were used during the alloying process in order to obtain
composite layers free of cracks and without porosity. To examine
the effect of processing parameters on the microstructure,
chemical composition, and properties of the alloyed layers the
laser power (P) was varied from 1,35 to 1,8 kW and the process
speeds (V): 12 and 20 mm/s. Laser alloying was performed under
argon atmosphere. The laser beam in TEM00 mode was focused
on the surface to a spot of about 2 mm in diameter.
Light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
has been used to study the surface morphology and surface layer
microstructure. SEM micrographs of laser alloyed surface layers
were obtained by a Hitachi device S-3500N. SEM was equipped
with a EDS (Noran) analysis apparatus. Energy-dispersive
spectroscopy (EDS) was used to study the chemical composition
of layers and phases. X-Ray diffractometry (XRD) was applied to
study the phase structure of the alloyed layers. X-Ray analyses
were performed by a HSD-4B diffractometer. It employed CoK
radiation with nickel as filtering element for K suppression.
Vickers microhardness profile (a load amounted to 65 g (i. e.
HV0,065) and a loading time of 10 s) was determined on the
polished laser alloyed cross-sections, using indent profiles
perpendicular to the sample surface and to the laser melting
direction. Three such profiles were measured for each sample.
The wear tests were carried out with the aid of special wear
resistant apparatus made at AGH [6]. The wear resistance was
specified on the basis of the mass decrement in function of the
wear distance of abrasive material (1000 m, 2000 m, 3000 m and
4000 m).

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Fig. 1. LM image of laser alloyed Ta plain carbon steel (P = 1,35

kW; V = 12 mm/s)

Fig. 2. LM image of laser alloyed Ta plain carbon steel (P = 1,35

kW; V = 20 mm/s)
Laser alloying of plain carbon steel caused considerable
refinement of structure. The SEM microphotography in Fig. 3
shows the cross-section of the surface layer after laser surface
alloying. The SEM microscopy examination shows the dendritic
structure of the melted zone. The dispersion of the crystals and
their orientation in the laser alloyed zone depending on the
direction of heat transfer and solidification rate. The
crystallisation of the LAZ starts with planar epitaxial growth (Fig.
3) and after 2-3 m changed to cellular and dendritic type of
crystals growth. The cells dimensions were about 1-2 m,
corresponding to an approximate cooling rate of 105 Ks-1 [8]. The
cellular solidified crystals, near fused line, took place at an angle
of 65o. The LAZ, obtained by using of Ta powder, showed a
dendritic growth with a eutectic in the interdendritic region (Fig.
4). In the spaces between eutectics occurred lath martensite. This
region occupied 20 - 40 m area of laser alloyed zone with effect
from fused line.

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Fig. 3. The microstructure of laser alloyed zone (P = 1,35 kW; V

= 20 mm/s)

After laser surface modification the surface layer structure of

the specimens were examined by X ray diffractometry (XRD)
(Fig. 7). The spectrum was registered from the middle of laser
track (P = 1,35 kW; V = 20 mm/s) and shows predominantly
wide iron diffraction peaks. Hence, it can be concluded that the
LAZ consist of martensite and retained austenite. Presence of only
one strong (110)M (absence of (111) and (210)) peak confirms that
LAZ is strongly textured. XRD analysis showed also that the laser
alloyed zone occurred M2C (M = Ta, Fe) carbides.
The microhardness within the laser-alloyed zone was varied
due to microstructural heterogeneities (Fig. 8). The increase of
hardness in the laser-melted zone was evidently due to a textured
fine-crystalline structure and presence of M2C carbides of the
form of fine eutectics. The high hardness of the laser alloyed zone
may be attributed to the microcrystalline scale of the cell structure
and to extended solid solubility of Ta in the matrix. The increase
of scanning velocity caused the decrease of the hardness. The
hardness of the LAZ changed within the range 1420 - 1880
HV0,065 as results of the application of the scanning velocity 12
mm/s, whereas in the case when V = 20 mm/s averaged 1360
HV0,065. The highest hardness of about 1880 HV0,065, was
obtained for 1,8 kW, while in the heat affected zone, hardness of
700 HV0,065 was determined.
The high hardness of laser alloyed surface layers may explain
the presence of M2C carbides, which hardness amounted to 1710
HV0,065 [9].
In general, it was found that a lower weight loss is obtained for a
higher laser power (Fig. 9). It is well known that alloying element
contents play important role in abrasive wear. Due to presence of
very hard carbides and textured structure the wear resistance of
laser alloyed surface layers was improved.

Fig. 4. The microstructure of dendrites with a eutectic (LAZ) (P =

1,35 kW, V = 20 mm/s)
Eutectics were appeared also in areas, which were visible in
the bottom of alloyed zone (Fig. 5). In surroundings of eutectics,
especially in near-surface areas of LAZ, occurred light-etched
phase, which was richer in tantalum (50 wt.% - Fig. 5a) then the
other regions (39 wt.% - Fig. 5b). The structure of heat affected
zone was changed (see Fig. 1, 2). In the vicinity of fused line
appeared coarse lath martensite but in the neighbourhood of the
matrix the structure of HAZ varied on martensite, which was
presented within the colonies of previous pearlite and ferrite.
The EDS analysis showed high tantalum content in the laser
alloyed zone. The distribution of Ta in the LAZ turned out to be
very inhomogeneous. This phenomenon should connect to
convection during laser melting. The average chemical
compositions in the dendrite and the interdendritic regions at the
middle part of the melted zone were analysed by EDS (Fig. 6).
The average Ta contents in the interdendritic regions were found
to be higher than that in the dendrite (Ta concentration: in the
dendrite: 15 15,5 wt.% - Fig. 6b; in the interdendritic regions:
37 37,6 wt.% - Fig. 6a). It is caused Ta segregation at the
crystallization front.

Fig. 7. The X-ray diffraction diagram of plain carbon steel after

laser alloying (P = 1,35 kW; V = 20 mm/s)

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Counts/s

Counts/s

Fig. 5. SEM micrograph of the top of LAZ and the specrograms: a phase rich in Ta (about 50 wt. %); b eutectic (39 wt. % of Ta)

Counts/s

Counts/s

Fig. 6. SEM micrograph of dendrites in LAZ; a the interdendritic region (37-37,6 wt.% of Ta a); b the dendrite (1515,5 wt.% of Ta b)

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Wear G x 10-3 [g]

Fig. 8. Microhardness profile of the alloyed cross-section

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

segregation of the alloying element (Ta). The concentration of Ta

is higher in the boundaries and in the corners of cells then in the
middle of dendrites. Carbon, which present in organic binder
dissolved in liquid metal and resulted in increasing of its
concentration and in stabilization of austenite, which is observed
on diffraction pattern.
The X-ray analyses disclosed that in laser alloyed surface
layer were occurred the fundamental phases: martensite, austenite
and tantalum carbides (M2C).
The high hardness (1880 HV0,065) of surface layer was
connected with the refinement of structure and supersaturation of
phases in Ta (it resulted from the high crystallization rate) and the
presence of martensite and carbides. The fluctuations of chemical
composition led to variations of microhardness across the surface
layer.
Increasing of power laser led to improvement of wear
resistance of laser alloyed plain carbon steel.

Acknowledgements

P=1,35 kW
P=1,8 kW

This work was partially supported by AGH University of

Science and Technology, by Faculty of Metals Engineering and
Industrial Computer Science, contract no. 11.11.110.566 and by
Ministry of Science and Higher Education, contract no.
R0700702.

1000

2000

3000

4000

distance [m]

Fig. 9. The effect of the tribological test

4. Conclusions
The present examinations proved that the laser alloyed surface
layers on carbon steel can be easily produced with Ta powder.
Laser surface alloying of plain carbon steel allows different
microstructures to be produced in the melted zone depending on
the operating conditions, such as power density and scanning
velocity.
The SEM investigations of laser alloyed zone revealed the
dendritic structure. Near the fused line was formed the planar
epitaxial growth and then moving in the direction of the surface,
varied on cellular and dendritic growth. In the laser alloyed Ta
surface layer was revealed the colonies of eutectics. In
surroundings was observed the phase (the primaries tantalum
carbides) richer in alloying element.
The distribution of Ta was non-uniform, resulted from the
intensive convection movements of liquid metal and from the
very short heating and cooling time, in which not proceed or are
slower precipitation or homogenizing processes of materials. In
surface layer in the place within the cell structure occurred the

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