Statistical Analysis and Optimization of Process Parameters for the Laser Cladding of TiBCN Powder onto a 7075 Aluminium Alloy Substrate
Y-H. Zhao, Y-X. Li, Y-X. Tan, H-B. Wang and L. Gao
In order to improve the efficiency and quality of the laser cladding process, a TiBCN coating was successfully fabricated on a 7075 aluminium alloy substrate successfully based on the statistical analysis and optimization of process parameters. The effect of laser power, scanning speed and powder feed rate on the TiBCN coating geometry characteristics were investigated. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to develop mathematical models. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) method was employed to find relationships between process parameters and output responses. The results indicate that the model can be used to illustrate the relationship between the geometrical characteristics of the coating and the laser cladding processing parameters. The predicted results, obtained using the optimized parameters from the models, are consistent with the experimental results. Based on the results of the optimization experiment, the optimum parameters were the following: laser power of 1200 W, scanning speed of 3 mm/s and a powder feed rate of 200 mg/s.
Keywords: High power diode laser (HPDL), semiconductor laser, 7075 aluminium alloy, laser cladding, operating parameters, response surface methodology (RSM), analysis of variance (ANOVA)