Laser surface alloying of magnesium base alloys

The feasibility of the laser surface alloying of magnesium base alloys with aluminum, copper, nickel and silicon has been shown in this work. By laser alloying with these elements, using a 5 kW CO2-laser, the hardness of several magnesium base alloys can be increased to values above 250 HV0.1. Melted depths from 700-1200 mu m and alloying contents from 15-55 at% were achieved. The wear resistance of the alloyed surface layers was examined using the scratch test method. Investigations on the corrosion behavior of the layers were performed using the salt water immersion test. The results of this investigation showed that the greatest improvement in wear resistance occurred for copper alloyed layers, whereas aluminum alloyed layers showed a superior corrosion resistance.