Laser surface treatment of metallic materials for advanced applications

• Grant number: 12/18808-1
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Visiting Researcher Grant - International
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Metallurgical Equipment and Facilities
• Principal Investigator: Conrado Ramos Moreira Afonso
• Grantee: Conrado Ramos Moreira Afonso
• Visiting researcher: Rui Mario Correia da Silva Vilar
• Visiting researcher institution: Universidade Técnica de Lisboa, Portugal
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The processing of advanced metallic materials by laser has advantages when compared with conventional processing routes of metals and alloys, such as: increased productivity, reduced operating costs, improving of quality and finishing of products, increased flexibility in production lines and design and wider range of application opportunities. The laser surface heat treatments with phase transformations in solid state and production of coatings for special applications involving corrosion, oxidation and wear resistance, characterized as a major alternative processing of materials which combines: the possibility of obtaining refined microstructures, metastable, nanocrystalline, quasicrystalline and amorphous. That result in significant improvements of metallic materials properties when compared with commercial alloys or their crystalline versions solidified in equilibrium conditions by conventional processing routes.The Lasers classified as high-power CO2 include (gaseous active medium) and Nd-YAG (solid state) are applied in the areas automotive, aerospace and shipbuilding, with high productivity and quality required by these industries, in processes such as welding, cutting , drilling, engraving and heat treatments of various materials.This project will be an outline of a project to be submitted to Research Foundation of São Paulo State (FAPESP) in order to purchase a system in order to start the laser surface treatment of metallic materials at DEMa/UFSCar. This request for "support to visiting professor" (APV) of FAPESP has as main objective to harness the expertise of Professor Rui Vilar, from Technical University of Lisbon (IST), a world authority on the subject of laser surface treatment of metals and alloys, and with whom the research group is a collaboration of more than 05 years. Prof. Rui Vilar will teach a graduate course in the graduate program in materials science and engineering (PPG-CEM/USFCar) and also come in order to perform further analysis and microstructural characterization of samples and discuss and submit scientific papers in collaboration with our research group. Another goal will be to perform complementary analysis and microstructure characterization of samples and discuss/evaluate collaborations in scientific articles. He will evaluate together with our group the possibility of specifying the technical characteristics of a laser system suitable for the needs of laser surface treatment of advanced metallic materials (amorphous, nano and quasicrystalline) and conventional crystalline alloys processed by rapid solidification. In addition, samples will be analyzed and discussed in order to complement scientific research papers relating to the in progress works, related to laser processing by Prof. Rui Vilar and characterization of the samples in our laboratories at DEMa/UFSCar.The characterization of laser processed materials will be facilitated by the infrastructure provided by the "structural characterization laboratory" (LCE), the "center of characterization and development of materials" (CCDM) in conjunction with the research laboratories of DEMa/UFSCar and research group in Amorphous and Nanocrystalline Alloys. The main techniques used will be: X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal analysis (DSC/DTA/TG), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission (TEM/STEM/HRTEM) coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). (AU)