Improvement of AISI 1045 and AISI 1020 by laser surface hardening

摘要

The traditional tempering methods induce strong stresses in the tried elements. It is necessary however for numerous industrial applications to maintain the properties of the material in the interior of the bulk at the same time as an elevated superficial hardness. Laser tempering achieves notable increments of hardness whilst modification of the surface is kept to a minimum. The control ofthe parameters that participate in the process, combined with the characteristics of the material, enable a specific hard layer to be obtained. Two steels were treated, AISI 1045 and AISI 1020, with a laser of CO_2 of 1700 W of capacity. In this paper, we reveal the working method, and the influence of the different parameters of the laser machining and material. As a result of the process, a superficial layer of more than 500 HV of hardness in the AISI 1020 was obtained. The treatment of AISI 1045 has provided layers of more than 1mm of 500 HV and layers of 0.6 mm thickness over 700 HV.