Influence of picosecond laser irradiation on nickel-based superalloy surface microstructure

Abstract

The investigation presented in this paper was carried out on the nickel-based superalloy, Nimonic 263, a material widely used at elevated temperatures and pressures. The samples were exposed to a Nd3+:YAG pulsed laser, at a wavelength of 1064 nm and a pulse duration of 170 ps, and the estimated threshold damage was 2 mJ. Different pulse energies and numbers of pulses were applied in air and helium-enriched atmospheres. Spots obtained by the laser interaction with the material were observed by optical and scanning electron microscopes and analyzed by energy-dispersive spectroscopy. Vickers microhardness tests were performed. In this paper, the changes that had occurred at the sample surface microstructure as a result of laser-material interaction are discussed with the aim of contributing to the determination of optimal laser parameters in the laser surface treatment process.