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Co-based and Co/WC Laser Metal Deposition: A Comparative Study between Continuous and Pulsed Wave Laser Process Conditions

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Abstract

Laser metal deposition (LMD) has attracted global interest due to its capacity to fabricate wear-resistant materials. However, the magnitude of heat input is crucial during the manufacturing of hard-facing alloys. This study explores the potential of LMD to deposit Co/WC composite coatings using different laser beam emission modes—specifically, continuous and pulsed waves. Co-based coatings without WC were also fabricated for comparative analysis. The primary characteristics of the coatings, including macro- and microstructural evaluations, chemical and phase composition, hardness, and wear resistance, were systematically studied and compared to laser emission type, track overlapping percentage, and laser delay time. Results indicate the homogeneous distribution of hard WC particles along the coatings, regardless of the process parameters. A notable finding is the fine-grained microstructure developed when employing a pulsed-wave laser condition, further enhanced with increased delay time. The pulsed-wave mode inhibits the dissolution of WC particles, whereas secondary carbides are formed in the coatings under continuous-wave mode. The hardness of Co/WC composite coatings is 1.2 to 1.5 times higher than that of Co coatings. Partial WC dissolution positively influences the wear rate of composite coatings, reducing its value by 1.9 to 3.7 times.

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Acknowledgements

Authors are gratefully acknowledged to Consejo Nacional de Humanidades Ciencias y Tecnologías (CONAHCyT) for financial support. The authors also thank the program Investigadores por México- CONAHCyT (Project number 2015-85 and 2018-131).

Funding

Funding provided by Consejo Nacional de Humanidades Ciencias y Tecnologías (CONAHCyT) under projects 275,781, 297,265 and 296,384, and master’s scholarship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Conahcyt – Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Av. Marie Curie, Zacatecas, 98047, Mexico

    Haideé Ruiz-Luna

  2. Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Av. Marie Curie, Zacatecas, 98047, Mexico

    Cinthia Estefania Cuevas-Mercado

  3. Conahcyt - Centro de Ingeniería y Desarrollo Industrial, Queretaro, 76125, Mexico

    Christian Félix-Martínez, Juan Manuel González-Carmona & Juan Ruiz-Ornelas

  4. Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del I.P.N. Unidad Queretaro, Libramiento Norponiente 2000, Queretaro, 76230, Mexico

    Juan Manuel Alvarado-Orozco

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  1. Haideé Ruiz-Luna
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Contributions

Conceptualization: H.R.L., C.F.M.; Supervision: H.R.L., C.F.M.; Formal analysis: H.R.L., J.M.G.C.; Visualization: H.R.L., J.M.G.C.; Writing- Original draft preparation: H.R.L., C.F.M.; Writing- Reviewing and Editing: H.R.L., C.F.M., J.M.G.C., J.M.A.O.; Methodology: C.E.C.M., C.F.M., J.R.O.; Investigation: C.E.C.M., J.R.O.; Resources: C.F.M., J.M.A.O.; Funding acquisition: J.M.A.O.

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Correspondence to Haideé Ruiz-Luna.

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Ruiz-Luna, H., Cuevas-Mercado, C.E., Félix-Martínez, C. et al. Co-based and Co/WC Laser Metal Deposition: A Comparative Study between Continuous and Pulsed Wave Laser Process Conditions. Lasers Manuf. Mater. Process. 11, 447–468 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40516-024-00255-8

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