Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 February 2011
Commercial aluminum bronze (Cu-Al-Fe) alloys have been laser quenched with both continuous and pulsed CO2 laser sources. Metastable near surface regions of approximately 10 μm thickness have been produced. The quenched surfaces have been characterized by optical microscopy, SEM, EDX, AES and glancing angle XRD. The behavior of both laser quenched and “as received” conventional surfaces have been tested in both cavitation erosion and corrosion environments. In some cases significant differences are observed and can be rationalized from the microstructural changes accompanying the self quenching.