The efficient removal of tenacious oxide scales from hot-rolled steel surfaces represents a persistent challenge in advanced manufacturing, as traditional manual grinding methods exhibit poor efficiency and environmental compatibility. This investigation develops an innovative methodology, i.e., a “coarse-to-fine” hierarchical cleaning paradigm consisting of dual-stepwise laser cleaning with variable parameters that successfully addresses the restrictive process window inherent to conventional single-parameter techniques. Through a strategically designed sequential treatment protocol—employing initial low-frequency (20 kHz), high-energy-density (200 mm/s) laser irradiation for primary oxide ablation, succeeded by high-frequency (60 kHz), low-energy-density (4000 mm/s) processing for residual scale elimination—we demonstrate an optimal synergy between ablative and thermomechanical vibration mechanisms. Rigorous multi-modal characterization incorporating SEM-EDS microscopy, oxygen content quantification, and metallographic analysis confirms exceptional performance metrics, including 98.7% oxide removal efficiency and 43.2% reduction in substrate surface roughness relative to standard methods. The developed protocol achieves a 2.8-fold expansion of the operational parameter space while establishing a novel “coarse-to-fine” hierarchical cleaning paradigm. These findings offer fundamental insights into laser–matter interactions while delivering a transferable technological framework for high-value manufacturing sectors, particularly in automotive and aerospace component production.
Zhang et al. (Thu,) studied this question.
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