Laser Cladding Fe/FeCr Coatings on Continuous Casting Cu Mold

The crystallizer is the key component controlling the solidification process and is mainly made of pure Cu. The poor wear resistance and oxidation resistance of pure Cu limit the working life of the Cu crystallizer. Herein, Fe/FeCr coatings are designed and successfully fabricated on the Cu substrate by laser cladding technique. The composition, microstructure, mechanical, and thermal properties of the Cu–Fe/FeCr composite are investigated. The coating is composed of a body‐centered cubic Fe–Cr alloy phase. The grains on the surface are equiaxed grains with an average diameter of 2 μm. The coating exhibits a tensile strength 3 times of Cu substrate and well elongation thanks to the fine‐grain structure. The interface between coating and substrate is metallic bonding and possesses a shear strength of as high as 200 MPa. The coating shows obvious advantages in wear resistance and antioxidation at high temperatures in comparison to Cu substrate. The laser cladding Cu–Fe/FeCr composite is promising to prolong crystallizer life for continuous casting.