Features of Modification of the Roughness and Hardness of the Surface of AISI 321 Stainless Steel with Short-Pulse Laser Radiation

Currently, there is a significant increase in interest in the use of short-pulse laser radiation to modify the surface of materials to use the results obtained in various technological applications. This is due, firstly, to the fact that with such laser exposure, it is possible to obtain modified surfaces that cannot be obtained by other processing methods. Secondly, intensive development and production of new classes of lasers (fiber, diode), which, unlike old laser models, are quite easily integrated into existing equipment and do not have significant problems with transporting laser radiation to the treatment site. The main issue when modifying a surface with short-pulse laser radiation is the strong dependence of the results obtained on the parameters of the laser pulse and the processing strategy. Therefore, the purpose of this work was to study the change in surface roughness and hardness of AISI 321 stainless steel depending on the laser pulse parameters and processing strategy. Pulses of nanosecond duration were used. Linear processing was considered as a processing strategy. Surface roughness was studied along and across laser scanning lines. It has been established that nanosecond laser radiation makes it possible to form both random and periodic types of roughness and increase surface hardness.