Fuzzy Control Modeling to Optimize the Hardness and Geometry of Laser Cladded Fe-Based MG Single Track on Stainless Steel Substrate Prepared at Different Surface Roughness

Metallic glass (MG) is a promising coating material developed to enhance the surface hardness of metallic substrates, with laser cladding having become popular to develop such coatings. MGs properties are affected by the laser cladding variables (laser power, scanning speed, spot size). Meanwhile, the substrate surface roughness significantly affects the geometry and hardness of the laser-cladded MG. In this research, Fe-based MG was laser-cladded on substrates with different surface roughness. For this purpose, the surfaces of the substrate were prepared for cladding using two methods: sandpaper polishing (SP) and sandblasting (SB), with two levels of grit size used for each method (SP150, SP240, SB40, SB100). The experiment showed that substrate surface roughness affected the geometry and hardness of laser-cladded Fe-based MG. To predict and optimize the geometry and hardness of laser-cladded Fe-based MG single tracks at different substrate surface roughness, a fuzzy logic control system (FLCS) was developed. The FLCS results indicate that it is an efficient tool to select the proper preparation technique of the substrate surface for higher clad hardness and maximum geometry to minimize the number of cladding tracks for full surface cladding.