Study of the effects of the laser remelting process on the microstructure and properties of the WC-10Co-4Cr coating sprayed by HVOF

The laser remelting technique is considered a promising and effective method for improving the surface of thermally sprayed coatings, eliminating microstructural defects such as pores and cracks, increasing the life of parts and equipment by increasing microhardness and increasing anchoring force between coating and substrate. In the present work, tungsten carbide alloy (WC-12Co-4Cr) coatings were deposited on properly prepared SAE 1016 substrates using the high velocity oxy-fuel technique. An ytterbium fiber laser was used to remelt the surface of the coating by accurately varying the scanning speed and laser beam power to achieve a pore and crack-free coating and better metallurgical anchorage to the substrate through the optimization of the studied parameters. The samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and microhardness. The results show that it is possible to obtain higher hardness coatings after the laser remelting process, free of pores or pronounced imperfections and metallurgically bonded to the substrate. We also found a processing range for the ytterbium laser remelting of the WC-12Co-4Cr coating aiming at high productivity and microstructural optimization of the coating for different thicknesses.