Tribological characteristics of structural alloy steels after laser modification of their surface

The microstructure and tribological characteristics of the modified surface of AISI E3310 and AISI A290C1M structural alloy steels after laser treatment using an ytterbium continuous fiber laser have been studied. Laser surface treatment was carried out on air with laser power outputs of 75 W and 100 W and scanning speeds from 2 to 14 mm/s. Metallographic analysis and durometer testing were applied to determine the structure of laser action zones and the steel structural components there. It has been shown that the scanning speed at a laser power of 100 W has the most significant effect on the dimensions of the laser action zones. The maximum depth of the laser action zone during laser treatment without surface melting is 310 and 170 µm for E3310 and A290C1M steel, respectively. Depending on the mode of hardening, the microhardness in the laser action zones varies from 1.36 to 1.97 times for E3310 steel; as for A290C1M steel, it increases by 2.0 – 2.6 times. At 100 µm hardening depth, the reduction in linear wear and wear intensity reaches 26.6 % and 43.9 % for E3310 and A290C1M steel, respectively.