Materials used in the combat aviation construction

In this work, an attempt was made to apply laser surface technology for enhancement of the properties and strengthening the material with addition of ceramic phases in the form of silicon and tungsten carbide particles, leading to a remarkable increase in hardness. Thanks to rapid cooling caused by heat being transferred to the cold substrate, an advantageous, fine-grained structure develops, showing higher gradient morphology; furthermore, the surface layers obtained with laser alloying offer greater heat-resistance and anti-corrosion properties, as well as high wear resistance in addition to the aforementioned hardness, which increases by as much as 15% for the AlSi9Cu4 alloy compared with the alloy after standard heat treatment. Such an increase in the values of the mechanical properties makes it possible to use the investigated alloy in applications including, e.g., recyclable thermally exposed surfaces, such as pistons in internal combustion engines, which enables further decrease in the weight and the thermal expansion with simultaneous increase in the strength, reduction in fuel consumption, and increase in carrying load, speed, and range, which generates the need for further research into the area.