Enhancing Slurry Erosion Resistance of SS410 Steel through Laser Cladding of NiCr + 50%WC-Based Ceramic Powders

The slurry erosion resistance of SS410 steel that has been laser-clad with a NiCr + 50%WC ceramic coating is examined in this work. We fine-tuned the laser cladding process by optimizing the following parameters: powder feed rate (30-40 g/min), scanning speed (1250-1750 mm/min), and laser beam power (1500-2000 W). In comparison with the un-cladded state, the cladding significantly increased the micro-hardness, going from 175 to 1268.9 HV. A range of impact angles (30°, 60°, and 90°), velocities (10-30 m/s), and slurry concentrations (20,000-50,000 ppm) were tested in slurry erosion experiments. The NiCr + 50%WC claddings showed a sixfold improvement in erosion resistance, with a minimum mass loss of 0.0125 g compared to 0.0358 g for un-cladded steel. The Taguchi analysis confirmed impact velocity as the most influential factor in erosion resistance.