Stainless steel AISI 304 was laser treated to enhance corrosion resistance and improve
surface properties. . This alloy has many applications in auto industry (car body,) as well as oil and
gas industry. Different conditions were applied in the laser surface treatment, namely: laser power
density, scan speed, distance between paths, medium gas (air, argon and nitrogen). After laser
treatment, the samples microstructures were investigated using optical microscope to examine
micro structural changes due to laser irradiation. Specimen surfaces were investigated using XRD,
SEM and EDAX before and after laser treatment to examine the surface composition changes
brought by laser irradiation.
Results showed that laser irradiation enhances the corrosion resistance of AISI 304 Stainless steel to
a large extent. Corrosion rates as low as 0.011 mpy for laser treated samples were obtained in
comparison to 0.952 mpy obtained for the untreated samples. Superior pitting corrosion resistance
was obtained under specific treatment conditions. The enhancement of corrosion resistance depends
on the laser irradiation conditions. The corrosion protection afforded by laser treatment is attributed
mainly to the grain refinement of the top surface layer. This layer is found to consist of nano-scale
grains.
Effect of Nd-YAG laser treatment on corrosion behavior of AISI316L stainless steel in artificial saliva solution
