Microstructure and residual stresses of laser structured surfaces

A new approach to structure metallic surfaces with laser radiation is structuring by remelting. In this process no material is removed but reallocated by melting. The laser power was adapted linearly to the increasing laser beam diameter for laser remelted (polished) samples. A carbon depleted area could be found close to the remelted zone accompanied with a local minimum in hardness. The surface residual stresses tend from tensile to compressive with increasing laser beam diameter/laser power and number of repetitions for laser structured and laser remelted samples. The residual stresses are a result of combined shrinkage (tensile) and transformation (compressive) stresses.