Supervisors: Dr Andrew Ang (Swinburne), Distinguished Professor Chris Berndt (Swinburne)
Thesis title: Enhancement of mining components through High-Speed Laser Cladding (EHLA)
Thesis synopsis: The mining industry has been looking for solutions to reduce environmental damage and increase the profit of its processes. For this reason, many of the components used in mining are repaired and refurbished, as the use of coatings can increase the lifespan of used components and improve some properties, such as hardness and corrosion resistance. The use of hard chrome as a coating for the repair and refurbishment of components used in the mining industry is widely used. Although hard chrome plated parts have excellent corrosion and wear resistance and a low coefficient of friction, hard chrome plating use is being restricted over time because of the environmental impacts and negative health effects on people coming from the process. Conventional laser cladding is a technique with less environmental impact that can also be used as an option to repair and refurbish parts; however, it has low productivity and the metal base can have high heat input, which can cause defects and future cracks on the coating. High-speed laser cladding is a technique that differs from conventional laser cladding because it has the powder melted in flight above the substrate where the laser is focused on, thus gaining in productivity and less impact on the base metal, in addition to greater grain refinement due to at a higher deposition rate. The outcome of this project is to find materials and process conditions that can be used as a coating for repair and refurbishment components used in the mining industry.
Bruno Felipe Andrade Bezerra is a PhD Candidate with SEAM at Swinburne University of Technology. Bruno’s desire to work with coatings and corrosion problems started during his studies at the University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, where he was also awarded a Master of Science and Technology of Materials. Bruno first started to work with HVOF coatings in Brazil, continuing his studies and experience with an internship in Belgium at OCAS, working with maraging steels. After successfully completing his undergraduate studies Bruno decided to further study the area of coatings and their corrosion problems. He explored organic coatings during his master studies which have brought him to Australia to further his research at Swinburne.
