Influence of High-Power Laser Cleaning on Oxide Layer Formation on 304L Stainless Steel

In this study, a kW-level high-power Nd:YAG nanosecond laser was adopted to eliminate a corrosion layer on a 304L stainless steel (SS304L) surface. Four different laser cleaning (LC) processes with various hatch distances and loop counts were adopted. The energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis revealed that the corrosion layer was successfully eliminated via the LC process. However, the electron probe X-ray microanalysis (EPMA) analysis confirmed that a Cr-based oxide layer with a thickness of a few micrometers had developed on the surface of SS304L by the LC process. Moreover, Cr-depleted regions were generated in the subsurface owing to the Cr consumption for oxide layer development. The surface temperature during the LC process strongly affected the thickness of oxide layers. The oxide layer and Cr-depletion formation can affect the subsequent manufacturing processes, including welding and molding. Moreover, those can influence the materials’ properties themselves, where the laser-cleaned workpieces may be used. Therefore, it is critical to characterize the relation between LC process parameters and microstructural alteration.