STRUCTURAL CHARACTERIZATION OF LASER-PROCESSED WC CO LAYERS/

In this work the metallurgical structure and compositions of alloyed l ayers obtained on steel via two laser-alloying processes were characte rized. One involved the injection of a powder into a bath generated by a laser beam, the other the re-melting of a plasma coating made with the same powder (WC/Co 88/12). It was found that with both methods hig h-hardness layers can be obtained, the degree of hardness depending on the composition of the melt. The layers were of different alloying co ntents, depending on the preceding process of plasma coating and on th e mechanism of melting in the two cases.