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Project Outline
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This project aims to develop the Extreme High-Speed Laser Application (EHLA) process for use in depositing Ni Superalloy coatings to aid in the corrosion resistance of rotational components.
The Hard Chrome Plating (HCP) technique has been heavily restricted by Health and Safety organisations worldwide, in response to findings on the highly toxic and carcinogenic hexavalent Chromium, CR(VI), that the process produces. Therefore, this means that there is a need for a replacement industrial surfacing technique with similar or superior properties (than HCP), which has led to a large amount of investment into various deposition processes. From this search into alternative technologies, EHLA has been highlighted as a good potential alternative for the process, despite its relatively unstudied nature, due to the low coating thickness and heat input the process can achieve.
Nickel superalloys, in particular Inconel625® and Inconel718®, have been used as coatings for components that require corrosion and wear resistance protection in multiple industries, and with a high chromium content, they, therefore, provide a good choice to deposit onto hydraulic cylinders, a predominantly HCP-treated component, which allows for direct comparison to industrial standards and the HCP process, with the potential for parallel studies upon thermal spray processes such as Cold Spray or High-Velocity Air-Fuel.
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