Laser Deposition of High Manganese Iron Alloy for Wear and Corrosion Resistance

Abstract

The usage of aluminum alloys for automotive applications has been growing rapidly. Research is being done to incorporate aluminum alloys as a replacement material for automotive components wherever possible. As aluminum itself has poor tribological properties, coatings are being developed to improve these properties. However, these conventional industrial coatings are not suitable to improve properties as they lack compatible materials and feasible manufacturing process. The purpose of this thesis is to develop low cost material with suitable manufacturing process that will improve the wear and corrosion properties of aluminum. The material was iteratively developed from iron manganese (Fe-Mn) alloys which are used extensively in mining applications. Influence of aluminum, chromium and carbon additions were studied in order to improve both corrosion and wear resistance of the alloy. A laser cladding process was utilized to create desired alloys. To study the microstructure and other material properties, the deposited alloys was analyzed and tested for corrosion, wear, hardness, and x-ray diffraction. Wear resistance, corrosion, and hardness of the alloy was found to be superior to that of conventional cast iron and stainless steel.