Optimization and simulation of laser cladding process parameters for GX4CrNi13-4 martensitic stainless steel

Abstract

To improve the quality of laser cladding， a finite element analysis process was established， focusing on laser power， scanning speed and powder feed rate as the main process parameters， aiming to reduce the research and development cycle and economic costs of optimizing cladding process parameters. By comparing the temperature and stress field simulation of GX4CrNi13-4 martensitic stainless steel laser cladding data with experimental results， the forming quality under different parameters is verified， optimizing the laser cladding process parameters. The results indicate that the adjustment range of laser power should be controlled between 1800 W to 2000 W to avoid substrate penetration and ensure sufficient density； increasing the powder feed rate effectively reduces temperature and residual stress. Among the three process parameters， laser power has the most significant impact on cladding quality. A comprehensive analysis of density and microhardness tests to assess the cladding quality and residual stress distribution under different parameters reveals that the optimal combination of process parameters is a laser power of 1800 W， scanning speed of 10 mm/s， powder feed rate of 10 g/min. The experimental results are consistent with the trends of stress field simulations， further validating the accuracy of the simulation data.

Keywords

• gx4crni13-4 martensitic stainless steel
• process parameters optimization
• finite element simulation
• temperature field
• stress field