Fatigue durability of laser clad components - FATLASE
Partners
Tampere University of Technology (TUT), Luleå University of Technology (LTU), Technology Centre KETEK Ltd. and CENTRIA research unit of the Central Ostrobothnia Polytechnic run the project concerning fatigue strength of laser clad components.
Time schedule of the project
Project lasts 2 years covering the period of 1.1.2011-31.12.2012. Total budget of the project is 0.45 MEUR.
Founding
FATLASE researh project is funded by EU's Interreg IV A North program,Regional Council of Lapland, KOSEK - Kokkolanseudun Kehitys Ltd.,Länsstyrelsen Norrbotten and Finnish industry. Companies benefiting the projectinclude end users of laser coatings (large diesel engines, power transmission
components, hydraulic cylinders, pulp and paper handling equipment) and laser cladding job shops. It is also meant for those who want their end products to be qualified and proved by official classification societies.
Laser cladding
Laser cladding as an overlay welding method induces large residual stresses and moderate metallurgical changes in components, potentially affecting their behaviour under external stresses. Among the mechanical properties which affect the service life of the component, the most important one is the fatigue strength. Under alternating loads unpredictable cracks, which may lead to catastrophic failures, can initiate under stresses which are well below the ultimate tensile and or even yield strength limits of the material. It has been estimated that 70-90% of all the mechanical failures in machines and components are due to combined effects of different modes of fatigue (axial, torsion and bending). Representative examples are various power transmission components.
Test environment at TUT
Test rig for bending fatigue tests.