Laser cladding of Ti-6Al-4V powder on Ti-6Al-4V substrate: Effect of laser cladding parameters on microstructure

The laser cladding of Ti-6Al-4V powder on Ti-6Al-4V substrate has been investigated to determine laser parameters that could be used as a repair technology for Ti-6Al-4V components. The parameters chosen for the investigation were developed by an analytical laser cladding model. Holding clad height and melt pool depth constant, the traversing speed was varied between 300mm/min and 1500mm/min, an associated power for the given speed was calculated by the model. Two different melt pool depths were used in the calculation of laser power for a given process velocity. The resulting microstructures in the clad zone varied from a relatively thin martensitic structure to a dendritic/thick martensitic structure. The heat affected zone (HAZ) showed a refinement of the Widmanstatten microstructure with a decreasing laser traversing speed and a coarser martensitic structure for the sample prepared with a deeper melt pool.