Investigation on wear and damage performance of laser cladding Co-based alloy on single wheel or rail material

The aim of this study is to investigate the microstructure and wear behavior of laser cladding Co-based alloy coating on single wheel or rail material (the laser cladding coating is applied only to the wheel or to the rail) using a rolling-sliding wear test apparatus. The coating of laser cladding Co-based alloy consists of dendrite and eutectic. Single-treated wheel or rail specimen undergone the laser cladding treatment effectively decreases rolling friction coefficient and improve wear resistance of both wheel and rail materials. Single-treated wheel or rail roller presents mild wear damage. Furthermore, it is helpful to alleviate the surface damage and plastic flow of wheel and rail rollers. It is concluded that the laser cladding Co-based alloy coating is suitable for single treatment of wheel or rail material. However, further work should be carried out to clarify the rolling contact fatigue mechanism and to characterize the laser cladding Co-based alloy coating.