Abstract

Laser glazing as a method for reproducibly and controllably attaining rapid solidification and solid-state cooling of metals and alloys has been studied extensively in recent years.^1-3 Varying the laser power density and interaction time the products of laser glazing include wide spectra of structure states: supersaturated solid solutions; homogeneous microcrystalline structures; fully eutectic microstructures or amorphous structures.⁴ We have studied using rapid cooling to produce such structures as the laser glazing of metal coatings on steels to improve the hardness and wear-resistance characteristics of steels.

© 1988 Optical Society of America