Measurement of temperature distributions during laser cladding process

Tungsten-rhenium and platinum-rhodium high-temperature thermocouples have b een utilized to measure the thermal cycle and the temperature distributions for laser cladding process. Within optimized operation window, a wide rang e of processing parameters, and various clad materials have been used in la ser cladding experiments. The clad-zone temperatures under various processi ng conditions fall between 1650 and 1800 degrees C. These results are in go od agreement with those obtained by optical pyrometer. (C) 2000 Laser Insti tute of America.