Elemental profiling of laser cladded multilayer coatings by laser induced breakdown spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy

•Multilayer tungsten carbide wear-resistant coatings were analyzed by laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy.•A good correlation between EDX and LIBS data was established for major components (W, Fe, Ni etc.) while LIBS provided additional information on carbon distribution.•A non-uniform distribution of tungsten carbide grains along coating depth was detected by both LIBS and EDX horizontal particles distribution was uniform.•Layer-by-layer LIBS sampling proved a feasibility for WC grains visualization by elemental profiling without any sample preparation.