The effect of CeO2 on the properties of Ni/WC cladding layer

The effect of CeO2 on the macro quality,microstructure and micro hardness of Ni/WC cladding layer has been studied.The results indicate that incorporation of CeO2 can greatly refine the microstructure,reduce the crack tendency and improve the micro quality of the Ni/WC cladding layer.The refine effect becomes more evident with increasing CeO2 content.When CeO2 content is increased to 0.16wt%,the micro hardness reaches its maximum of ca.900HV0.3～1300HV0.3 and cracks vanish.Laser power affects the macro quality,microstructure and micro hardness of the cladding layer also.A continuous and smooth layer cannot be obtained if the laser power is lower than 1.5kW,while large crystal particles appears in the cladding layer and the corresponding hardness obviously if the laser power is higher than 2.0kW.