Effect of laser surface melting on friction and wear behavior of AM50 magnesium alloy

In the present study, an attempt has been made to enhance tribological properties of AM50 magnesium alloy by laser surface melting (LSM) with a 2 kW continuous wave CO2 laser. The microstructure of the laser surface melted zone consists of fine columnar dendrites growing epitaxially from the liquid–solid interface. Microhardness of the melted zone was improved to 55–75 HV as compared to 40 HV of the substrate. The friction and wear behavior of the laser surface melted layer were investigated using a ball-on-flat apparatus under dry sliding condition. It was found that the friction coefficient curve of the laser surface melted layer was similar to that of substrate. They showed a lower initial friction coefficient about 0.18 that after the running-in period increased up to about 0.38. Furthermore, compared with the AM50 substrate, the wear volume of the laser surface melted layer was decreased by 42%, the wear resistance of the laser surface melted layer was improved.