Properties of the Aluminium Alloy EN AC-51100 after Laser Surface Treatment

In this paper, the influence of a laser surface treatment on the structure and properties of aluminium alloy has been determined. The aim of this work was to improve the tribological properties of the surface layer of the EN AC-51100 aluminium alloy by simultaneously melting and feeding silicon carbide particles into the molten pool. The silicon carbide powder was introduced into the liquid metal using a gravity feeder within a constant feed rate of 1 g/min. A high power diode laser (HPDL) was used for remelting. Laser beam energies used in experiments were 1.8 kW, 2.0 kW and 2.2 kW, combined with the constant velocity of 50 mm/min. As a result of the laser treatment on the aluminium alloy, a composite layer with greater hardness and wear resistance compared to the based material was obtained.