Enhanced corrosion resistance properties of Fe–Al–Cr laser cladding coatings on 1045 carbon steel substrates

Fe–Al–Cr coatings with different content of Cr additive were prepared on 1045 carbon steel substrates by a laser cladding process. The incorporation of Cr atoms can effectively enhance the corrosion resistance of the coatings. In particular, the Fe–28Al–5Cr laser cladding coating exhibits the best film quality without phase segregation. In addition, the interfacial adhesion between the Fe–28Al–5Cr coating and the 1045 carbon steel substrate is improved. As a result, the Fe–28Al–5Cr laser cladding coating exhibits the best corrosion resistance in a 3.5 wt% NaCl solution under both immersion and electrochemical conditions. However, excessive Cr additive lead to the formation of Al(8)Cr(5) in the grain boundaries, resulting in inferior corrosion resistance. Therefore, the new findings demonstrated in this work may inspire the design of high-quality coatings with excellent corrosion resistance.