The study of hot deformation on laser cladding remanufactured 316L stainless steel

Abstract Laser cladding deposition (LCD) is widely used to remanufacture/repair workpieces because of its high design freedom to rebuild areas of damage. However, the process often introduces a columnar grain structure in the cladding layer, resulting in a large variation of microstructure and hardness across the cladding layer, welding interface, and base metal. Under fatigue and tensile loading, fractures can initiate in the lower hardness cladding layer. This study explores the feasibility of a new hybrid remanufacturing method integrating the LCD with a subsequent hot deformation process to refine grain structure, reduce hardness variations, and enhance mechanical properties. The effects of deformation temperatures and imposed plastic strains were studied by examining the microstructural and stress-strain behaviour of laser cladded 316L stainless steel. After LCD, compressive deformation was imposed at temperatures of 900 and 1100 °C, with engineering strain levels of 0.1 and 0.5. A high-quality metallurgical joint was achieved, with the optimal ultimate tensile strength and yield strength under process conditions of an engineering strain level of 0.5 imposed at 900°C (35% improvement compared to the directly laser cladding remanufacturing process). Dynamic recrystallization process was observed by the electron back scatter diffraction technique to reveal the underlying mechanism.