Mechanical Properties and Cooperation Mechanism of Corroded Steel Plates Retrofitted by Laser Cladding Additive Manufacturing Under Tension

As a metal additive manufacturing process, laser cladding (LC) is employed as a novel and beneficial repair technology for damaged steel structures. This study employed LC technology with 316 L stainless steel powder to repair locally corroded steel plates. The influences of interface slope and scanning pattern on the mechanical properties of repaired specimens were investigated through tensile tests and finite element analysis. By comparing the tensile properties of the repaired specimens with those of the intact and corroded specimens, the effectiveness of LC repair technology was assessed. An analysis of strain variations in the LC sheet and substrate during the load was carried out to obtain the cooperation mechanism between the LC sheet and substrate. The experimental results showed that the decrease in interface slope slightly improved the mechanical properties of repaired specimens. The repaired specimens have similar yield strength and ultimate strength to the intact specimens and better ductility as compared to the corroded specimen. The stress–strain curve of repaired specimens can be divided into four stages: elastic stage, substrate yield-LC sheet elastic stage, substrate hardening-LC sheet elastic stage, and plastic stage. These findings suggest that the LC technology with 316 L stainless steel powder is effective in repairing damaged steel plates in civil engineering structures and that an interface slope of 1:2.5 with the transverse scanning pattern is suitable for the repair process.