Effect of the Average Energy on WC Grain Growth of WC-10Co-4Cr Composite by Laser Cladding

In the present study, the microstructure evolution of WC-10Co-4Cr powder deposited on AISI-SAE 1020 steel substrate by laser cladding was evaluated, considering the effect of average energy per unit area. Single tracks were obtained by employing a Yb: YAG laser system with selected processing parameters. All samples were sectioned in the transverse direction for further characterization of the cladding. Results showed that dilution lay within 15% and 25%, whereas porosity was measured below 12%. According to microstructural analyses, considerable grain growth is developed within the central area of the cladding (namely, the inner region); additionally, the development of a triangular and/or polygonal morphology for WC particles along with a clear reduction in hardness was observed when employing a high average energy. It is worth noting that, in spite of the rapid thermal cycles developed during laser cladding of WC-10Co-4Cr, grain growth is attributed to a coalescence mechanism due to complete merging of WC into larger particles. Finally, the presence of small round or ellipsoidal particles within the inner region of the cladding suggested that non-merged particles occurred due to both an inhomogeneous dispersion and the lack of faced-shaped WC particles.