Laser beam forming of 3 mm steel plate and the evolving properties

This paper reports the evolving properties of a 3 mm low carbon steel plate after Laser Beam Forming process (LBF) To achieve this objective, the chemical analyse material and the formed components were carried out and compared; thereafter both were characterized through microhardness profiling, microstructural evaluation and tensile testing. The chemical analyses showed an increase in the elemental concentration of the formed component when compared to the as received material; this can be attributed to the enhancement property of the LBF process. The Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) and the Vickers microhardness of the formed component shows an increase when compared to the as received material, this was attributed to strain hardening and grain refinement brought about by the LBF process. The microstructure of the as received steel consists of equiaxed ferrit and pearlite while that of the formed component exhibits elongated grains