Refurbishment of components made of High Tensile Steel

High tensile steels are commonly used in aerospace, automotive, energy and general engineering sectors for various power transmission gears, shafts, connecting rods, propeller shafts, and heavy forgings such as rotors, shafts, discs, etc. Such components can be damaged during operation due to wear at the contact areas, and the refurbishment of such components using laser cladding can save the replacement cost. Also, refurbishment technology can be beneficial in countering environmental concerns. Refurbishment technology using laser cladding for one of such components was developed which faces wear during operation due to relative movement between the contact surfaces. A post-heat treatment was developed that can homogenise the clad and HAZ microstructure without creating dimensional and microstructural variation in the component. Microstructural, mechanical, and wear properties were found on par with the substrate. Component successfully completed the simulated field trial