ABSTRACT
This study investigated the effects of CW laser cleaning on the mechanical properties of SM400B coated steel plates with a heavy anticorrosion layer. Surface roughness measurements and component analyses were performed to evaluate the condition of coating removal, while hardness and tensile tests evaluated changes in the steel’s mechanical properties. The results showed that increasing the number of times of laser irradiations effectively removed the coating, but excessive irradiations caused surface oxidation. Surface roughness decreased with additional irradiations. Hardness tests revealed no significant changes in comparison with only blasted specimens. Tensile tests confirmed that the cleaned steel maintained mechanical properties per JIS standards. These findings suggest that laser cleaning has a minimal impact on the steel’s mechanical properties. Future studies should be conducted to examine durability of repainted steel specimens after the CW laser cleaning by combined cycle tests and adhesion tests to further evaluate the effectiveness of this method as a preparation technique.
