Laser remelting induces grain refinement and properties enhancement in high-speed laser cladding AlCoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy coatings

To further strengthen the AlCoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy (HEA) coating prepared by high-speed laser cladding (HLC), laser remelting (LR) was chosen to reprocess it. The effects of LR on the topography, microstructure, growth orientation, phase distribution, and properties were investigated. It was revealed that there were a large number of liquid phase separation (LPS) zones in the HLC coating because of an ultrafast cooling rate. After LR, the LPS zones were eliminated. Compared to HLC coating, the microhardness increased from 622 HV to 762 HV, and the friction coefficient and the wear weight loss were reduced by 0.1 and 0.5 mg, respectively. In electrochemical testing, the self-corrosion potential increased by 45.9 mV and the self-corrosion current density decreased by one order of magnitude. Meanwhile, EBSD analysis indicated that the LPS zones were prone to recrystallization. The LPS zones were nickel-poor, low hardness, also BCC phase, and had a clearer (101) orientation. With the elimination of the LPS zones, the kernel average misorientation values were reduced, Taylor factor values and high angle grain boundaries were increased, and the average grain size was reduced from 2.43 μm to 2.12 μm. Eventually, for LR coatings, the combination of fine grain strengthening, solid solution strengthening, spalling reduction, and Cr element segregation resulted in better wear and corrosion resistances. The overall results show that a reasonable LR application can induce the microstructure of the HLC coating and improve its service properties.