Material Performance in Laser Cladding of a Laminated Plate with Wavy Bond Interface

A laminated plate with excellent mechanical properties is commonly used for a bulkhead part in which the interface structure of diffusion bonded is detrimental to the bending quality. In this study, 304 stainless steel and Q235 carbon steel were cladded by laser cladding technique. Microstructure, yield strength, elements diffusion, hardness and tensile fracture morphology of the clad metals were evaluated. The bond interface of the cladded metals demonstrated a wavy morphology in this work. Tensile test results shows that yield strength reaches 400-410MPa and tensile strength reaches 405-419MPa. They are higher than the standard value 235MPa and 370MPa, respectively. In wavy interface region, transition layer of metallurgical bond was formed as a result of mutual diffusion of Fe, Cr and Ni. The hardness is increased in the substrate and cladding plate near the bond interface. The mechanical properties of the low-carbon steels is increased by laser cladding with austenitic stainless steel, which are far beyond the national standard and other bending methods.