Laser surface hardening of AISI H13 tool steel

An attempt was made to improve the surface hardness and wear properties of AISI H13 tool steel through solid solution hardening and refinement of microstructures using a 200 W fiber laser as a heat generating source. The hardness of laser melted zone was investigated. In order to identify the effect of heat input on the laser melting zone, scanning conditions were controlled. The results show that, the hardness of as-received AISI H13 tool steel is approximately Hv 240, and the hardness after laser surface heat treatment is around Hv 480–510. The hardening depth and width are increased with the increase in the heat input applied. Application of experimental results will be considered in tooling industry.