Microhardness and wear behaviour of polycrystalline diamond after warm laser shock processing with and without coating

• Published in: International journal of refractory metals & hard materials 2019-08, Vol.82, p.215-226
• Main Authors: Pacella, Manuela, St. John, Marah Grace Jasmine, Dolatabadi, Nader, Badiee, Amir
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aluminum base alloys; Coefficient of friction; Diamond films; Diamond machining; Diamond tools; Diamonds; Fiber lasers; Friction reduction; Grain size; Hard materials; Hardness; Hardness tests; Laser beam melting; Laser peening without coating; Laser shock peening; Laser shock processing; Lasers; Material removal rate (machining); Micro hardness; Microhardness; Microstructural modification; Microstructure; Nanosecond pulses; Polycrystalline diamond; Polycrystals; Protective coatings; Pulse duration; Scanning electron microscopy; Wear properties; Wear resistance
• ISSN: 0263-4368; 2213-3917
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrmhm.2019.04.014

Cutting tools made of ultra-hard materials such as polycrystalline diamonds offer superior wear resistance in precision machining of Aluminium alloys. However, the wear properties of these materials are dependent on their microstructural characteristics such as grain size and binder percentage. In this context, the present paper evaluates the effects of two low-energy fibre laser processes (nanosecond pulse duration) on microstructural changes of polycrystalline diamond composites and consequently investigates wear and friction characteristics and micro hardness properties. Pockets were first achieved using a single mode SPI pulsed fibre laser (1064 nm wavelength) inducing both laser shock processing (LSP) and laser peening without coating (LPwC) and characterised using a combination of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), white light interferometry, energy dispersive X-Ray (EDX) and micro hardness analyses. The as-received and processed materials were tested on a pin-on-disc for the evaluation of their wear performance. An analytical model based on the asperities of pin and disc after wear test is proposed to predict the trend of wear performance of different laser-processed materials. LSP with vinyl and quartz at a scanning speed of 500 mm s−1 achieved a micro-hardness of 110 GPa at a depth of 632 nm. LPwC at 0.8 GW cm−2 produced hybrid microstructures which share characteristics of laser shock processing and selective laser melted structures. For laser feed speed in the region of 1000 mm s−1, micro-indentation tests revealed an improvement of hardness from 70 GPa to 95 GPa at a depth of 670 nm for LPwC. Tribotest revealed enhanced wear performance for all laser-processed pins and reduced coefficient of friction also validated by increased material removal rate when compared to the as-received material. To the best of authors' knowledge, it is reported for the first time that an improvement of wear performance can be achieved on polycrystalline diamond through LSP and LPwC. •Fibre laser processing enables enhanced wear properties for ultra-hard composites.•Microstructure tailoring through lasers affects composites' thermal conductivity.•Laser shock processing with vinyl and quartz promotes hardness increase by 40 GPa.•Nanosecond pulse and high energy density favour materials' elastic recovery.•Low energy density promotes plastic deformation due to reduced elastic recovery.