Excimer Laser Processing of Grey Cast Iron: Microstructural and Tribological Characterization

Pearlitic grey iron was treated by means of a XeCl laser to remelt only a shallow layer. This process allows to modify the heteregeneous surfaces of cast irons in order to improve their tribological behaviour. The energy density ranged from 0.3 to 3 J/cm² and the number of shots from 4 to 40. It is shown that after laser irradiation austenite is formed in the melted layer; compressive stresses at the surface were exhibited as well as the deposition of graphite and the formation of carbides. It is shown that excimer laser processing highly decreases the coefficient of friction and the wear rate. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.