Design and Engineering Assessment of a Laser Cladding Device for the Inner Wall of a 90° Elbow Pipe

Abstract

Elbow pipes, particularly 90° elbows are prone to erosion, corrosion, and wear due to flow disturbances, making surface protection essential in fluid transport systems. This study designs a dedicated three-axis rotary positioning laser cladding equipment for inner-surface remanufacturing of ASME B16.9 compliant 90° long-radius elbows with 200 mm inner diameter, aiming to overcome the recurring flaws of four mainstream conventional elbow cladding approaches. Systematic mechanical calculations define critical structural parameters: the two-stage spur-worm drive adopts total reduction ratios of 40 (Z-axis) and 100 (Y-axis), paired with uniform 200 W servo motors, while the external V-block clamping fixture is engineered for a design clamping force of 1636 N with quantified bolt tightening torque. The innovative sector-based horizontal cladding path avoids frequent workpiece disassembly, effectively suppressing nozzle collision and irregular powder feeding issues common to spiral, circumferential and longitudinal cladding. This manuscript completes full theoretical sizing and analytical verification; subsequent finite element thermal-stress simulation and physical prototype fabrication are required to practically validate coating uniformity and overall equipment operating stability.