Surface engineered AlMn alloy using laser surface alloying for wear resistance

Laser beam applications for surface modification of engineering materials get high attention in research and industries due to superior surface performance for wear and corrosion resistance. In this work, laser surface alloying of aluminum plate with manganese metal powder has been successfully achieved using a continuous-wave CO₂ laser. The result shows improved surface hardness up to 121 HV while substrate material hardness has been 33 HV. The pin-on-disc wear test at loads of 10 N revealed the reduction by 30% due to manganese alloying. The friction coefficient of AlMn alloyed has been minimum as 0.34 while unalloyed aluminum substrate materials have been 0.62 less than unalloyed substrate materials. The depth of laser alloyed has been increased with laser power. The effect of sliding speed on friction coefficient has also been investigated. The higher sliding speed of 2 m/s has the least friction coefficient. The worn surface morphology indicated the different formation of wear mechanisms including adhesive wear and abrasive wear formations. Microstructure and surface morphology have been studied which displayed a good metallurgical bonding without defects.