TITLE:
A Comparative Study on Microstructure and Wear Resistance of M2 Alloy Steel Cladding Layers by High-Speed Laser Cladding and Conventional Laser Cladding
AUTHORS:
Pengfei Sun, Dengzhi Wang
KEYWORDS:
High Speed Laser Cladding, M2 Alloy, Microstructural Evolution, Wear Performance
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering,
Vol.13 No.9,
September
24,
2025
ABSTRACT: Based on the experimental results, this study demonstrates that increasing the laser scanning speed effectively refines the microstructure of the fabricated samples, resulting in finer needle-like martensite and reduced carbide size. Although the average surface hardness decreases due to incomplete austenite-to-martensite transformation at higher speeds, the wear resistance improves significantly. The sample produced with a higher laser scanning speed exhibits the lowest wear volume, which contradicts the conventional hardness-dependent wear behavior. This enhancement is attributed to the refined microstructure, which strengthens resistance to micro-cutting and provides better load support during sliding wear. The findings suggest that microstructural refinement plays a more critical role than hardness in enhancing wear performance under the tested conditions.