The mechanical properties and microstructures of AZ91D magnesium alloy processed by selective laser cladding with Al powder

•In this study, the surface of AZ91D was treated using laser in the shape of stripes, inspired by the shell surface morphology.•The interactive effects of output power and scanning speed on experimental results were studied.•β-Mg17Al12 in the treated zone, with different laser parameters, was characterized.•The mechanical properties related to different laser parameters were analyzed.

This work focuses on the effects of selective laser cladding using Al powder on the properties and microstructure of Mg alloy AZ91D, with different experimental parameters. The scanning strategy was inspired by the alternately hard-soft shell surface structures. The microstructure was greatly refined. Furthermore, the growth of the β-Mg17Al12 dendrite was curbed. The treatment depth is ~900 μm. The UTS, YS and microhardness were notably increased. However, the ductility was decreased by a part. The output power of 2200 W and the scanning speed of 180 mm/min are the optimum combination. The resulting wear resistance was thus the highest of all.