Microstructural characterization of superaustenitic stainless steel surface alloys formed using laser treatment

Conventional stainless steels (SS’s) such as AISI type 304 SS are used in many industrial applications due to their excellent weldability and good mechanical properties. However, in contacts with chlorides, they suffer from localized corrosion. AISI type 304 SS was alloyed at the surface with chromium, nickel, and molybdenum using a CO₂ laser carried under varying laser processing parameters. The objective is to create a surface alloy with composition and microstructure, suitable for marine environments. The surface alloys were characterized using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and revealed the presence of the austenitic phase. Analysis by SEM-energy dispersive analysis (EDAX) revealed good compositional homogeneity with molybdenum contents in the range of 3 to 15 wt.%. The dendrite arm spacing (DAS) measured at the surface and bottom of the surface alloy using an image analyzer was found to be in good correlation with calculated cooling rates.