The 3.6C-20Cr-Fe-(0-2.32)V high chromium cast iron (HCCI) hardfacing layers were deposited on low alloy steel by electroslag surfacing. The microstructure of hardfacing layers were observed and the carbide types, size and area fraction were measured. In addition, the hardness and wear resistance were tested. Results show that the interface between hardfacing layer and low alloy steel is defect free. 3.6C-20Cr-Fe hardfacing layer contains primary carbides and eutectic. Increasing V wt % in the hardfacing layer, primary carbides are decreasing by increasing eutectic along with martensite formation. For 1.50 wt % of V, the microstructure contains a lot of eutectic and a little of martensite. For 2.32 wt % of V, primary austenite formed, the microstructure is primary austenite, eutectic and a little of martensite. In the V alloyed hardfacing layers, V has strong affinity with carbon than chromium, hence V can replace a part of Cr in M 7 C 3 and (Cr 4.4-4.7 Fe 2.1-2.3 V 0.2-0.5)C 3 type carbides are formed. When the V is 2.32 wt %, (Cr 0.23 V 0.77)C carbides are formed in the hardfacing layer. The hardness and wear resistance are improved by increasing V from 0 to 1.50 wt %. However, when the V is 2.32 wt %, the primary austenite has reduced the hardness and wear resistance of hardfacing layer.

The effect of cooling rate, ranging from 6 to 1 °C/s, on microstructure and mechanical properties in the coarse-grained heat affected zone (CGHAZ) of electroslag welded pearlitic rail steel has been investigated by using confocal scanning laser microcopy (CSLM) and Gleeble 3500 thermo-mechanical simulator. During heating, the formed austenite was inhomogeneous with fractions of untransformed ferrite, which has influenced the pearlite transformation during cooling by providing additional nucleation sites to pearlite. During cooling, at 6 °C/s, the microstructure was composed of martensite and bainite with little pearlite. From 4 to 1 °C/s, microstructures were completely pearlite. Lowering the cooling rate of the CGHAZ from 4 to 1 °C/s increased the pearlite start temperature and reduced the pearlite growth rate. Meanwhile, this increase in pearlite start temperature enlarged the pearlite interlamellar spacing. Alternatively, increasing pearlite interlamellar spacing in the CGHAZ by lowering the cooling rate from 6 to 1 °C/s reduced the hardness and tensile strength, whereas toughness was found unaffected by the pearlite interlamellar spacing. It has been found that a cooling rate of 4 °C/s leads to the formation of pearlite with fine interlamellar spacing of 117 nm in the CGHAZ of electroslag welded pearlitic rail steel where hardness is 425 HV, tensile strength is 1077 MPa, and toughness is 9.1 J.

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The present paper aims at utilizing the 3-wire electroslag welding (ESW) to join high-speed pearlitic rail steels where microstructure and mechanical properties were investigated. The welded joint has produced an improved fracture force of 1396KN. WM was consisted of ferrite and pearlite having hardness of 27HRC, tensile strength of 748MPa and toughness of 12J, successively. HAZ was composed of pro-eutectoid ferrite and pearlite, where austenite grain size and pearlite colony size were reduced by moving away from the fusion line. In HAZ, near to the fusion line, the austenite grain size was 143±19μm, pearlite colony size was 52±9μm and pearlite interlamellar spacing was 90±27nm, which has produced hardness of 43.5HRC, tensile strength of 1228MPa, and toughness of 8J, successively. The entire investigation concludes that 3-wire ESW is an optimum and viable method, which has provided fine pearlite microstructure along with improved hardness and tensile strength.