Optimization and Wear Performance Analysis of Laser-Cladded WC-Fe-Based Coating

In this study, a WC-Fe-based coating was prepared on 45 steel substrate utilizing laser clad-ding technology. To optimize the composition of the Fe-based alloy powder, a thorough anal-ysis of the cracks observed during the formation of the cladding layer was conducted. Ele-mental control of the WC-Fe-based alloy powder was employed to mitigate issues such as porosity and slagging, consequently reducing susceptibility to cracking. The optimized WC-Fe-based alloy coating exhibited enhanced wear and abrasion resistance when compared to the widely used Ni45 coating. Microstructural investigations revealed that both coatings fea-tured dendrites, cellular crystals, and equiaxial crystals. However, the WC-Fe coating dis-played a finer and denser microstructure, highlighting its superior characteristics. The hard-ness and abrasion resistance tests demonstrated exceptional performance of the WC-Fe-based coatings, boasting approximately three times the substrate's hardness and a wear rate approx-imately seven times lower than that of the substrate. The coefficient of friction for WC-Fe-based coatings remained consistently stable at approximately 0.4, indicative of remarkable friction reduction and abrasion resistance.