The use of zirconium is widespread in nuclear, chemical and biomedical industries considering its low thermal neutron cross-section, high corrosion resistance and good biocompatibility [1-3]. The present work studies the application of laser cladding using a powder spray laser deposition system. Commercially pure zirconium is deposited on a zirconium alloy substrate without the use of an enclosed atmosphere to limit oxygen and nitrogen contamination. The use of different powder nozzle designs and argon shielding gas flow rates are examined as the only mechanism for protecting the molten zirconium from the atmospheric contamination, in order to evaluate the feasibility of in-situ cladding and more convenient cladding systems. The powder nozzle geometry and gas flow rates are compared in terms of the cladding chemistry, microstructures, and microhardness. It is shown that the use of a powder delivery nozzle which only utilizes one stream of argon within the powder carrier gas is not sufficient to prevent atmospheric contamination. The addition of an auxiliary argon stream provides far greater protection to both the clad and substrate, which suggests it is possible to achieve acceptable zirconium claddings without the use of an enclosed shielded environment.
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ICALEO 2015: 34th International Congress on Laser Materials Processing, Laser Microprocessing and Nanomanufacturing
October 18–22, 2015
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
ISBN:
978-1-940168-05-0
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
Comparison of nozzle gas shielding techniques for laser cladding of zirconium
Arshad Harooni;
Arshad Harooni
1
Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo
, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada
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Adrian P. Gerlich;
Adrian P. Gerlich
1
Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo
, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada
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Amir Khajepour;
Amir Khajepour
1
Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo
, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada
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Ahmed Khalifa;
Ahmed Khalifa
2
Canadian Nuclear Laboratories
, 286 Plant Rd., Chalk River, Ontario, K0J 1J0, Canada
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J. M. (Mitch) King
J. M. (Mitch) King
2
Canadian Nuclear Laboratories
, 286 Plant Rd., Chalk River, Ontario, K0J 1J0, Canada
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Published Online:
October 01 2015
Citation
Arshad Harooni, Adrian P. Gerlich, Amir Khajepour, Ahmed Khalifa, J. M. (Mitch) King; October 18–22, 2015. "Comparison of nozzle gas shielding techniques for laser cladding of zirconium." Proceedings of the ICALEO 2015: 34th International Congress on Laser Materials Processing, Laser Microprocessing and Nanomanufacturing. ICALEO 2015: 34th International Congress on Laser Materials Processing, Laser Microprocessing and Nanomanufacturing. Atlanta, Georgia, USA. (pp. pp. 404-409). ASME. https://doi.org/10.2351/1.5063192
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