Fatigue Failure Analysis on Precracked 304 Stainless Steel Components Repaired by Laser with Addition of Nanocomposites

The service life of components can be extended by repairing fatigue crack with laser so as to improve resource utilization rate. However, the effect of laser repair may be influenced by the instability of laser treatment. To investigate the addition of nanocomposites on the laser repairing effect, fatigue test under uniaxial tension was carried out to evaluate the fatigue life of precracked 304 stainless steel components repaired by laser. According to the results obtained from fatigue tests, a probabilistic fatigue life distribution model considered the sampling size and discreteness of data was established based on the three-parameter Weibull distribution model and three-parameter stress-life equation. The results of probabilistic fatigue life distribution model show that the fatigue life of components repaired by laser with addition of WC nanocomposites can be enhanced significantly, especially the high cycle fatigue life. Moreover, the microstructure of repaired region show that the WC nanoparticles could refine the recrystallized grains and lead to the improvement of strength and toughness of material around crack tip, which are the main reason of improved fatigue life. Meanwhile, smooth surface of repaired region caused by WC nanoparticles can also prevent the initiation of microcracks. Key-words: Fatigue failure; Laser repair; WC nanocomposites; Microstructure.