Hardfacing of mild steel with wear-resistant Ni-based powders containing tungsten carbide particles using powder plasma transferred arc welding technology

Abstract

This study explores the use of powder plasma transferred arc welding (PPTAW) as a surface layer deposition technology to form hardfaced coatings to improve upon the wear resistance of mild steel. Hardfaced layers were prepared using the PPTAW process with two different wear-resistant powders: PG 6503 (NiSiB + 60% WC) and PE 8214 (NiCrSiB + 45% WC). By varying the PPTAW process parameters of plasma gas flow rate (PGFR) and plasma arc current, hardfaced layers were prepared. Microscopic examinations, penetration tests, hardness tests, and abrasive wear resistance tests were carried out on the prepared samples. Hardfacings prepared with PG 6503 had a hardness of 46.3–48.3 HRC, while those prepared with PE 8214 had a hardness of 52.7–58.3 HRC. The microhardness of the matrix material was in the range of 573.3–893.0 HV, while that of the carbides was in the range of 2128.7–2436.3 HV. The abrasive wear resistance of the mild steel was improved after deposition of hardfaced layers by up to 5.7 times that of abrasion-resistant heat-treated steel, Hardox 400, having a nominal hardness of approximately 400 HV. The hardness and wear resistance were increased upon addition of Cr as an alloying element. Increasing the PGFR increased the hardness and wear resistance of the hardfacings, as well as increasing the number of surface cracks. Increasing the plasma transferred arc (PTA) current resulted in hardfacings with fewer cracks but lowered the wear resistance.

The Influence of the Hot Working Tool Steel Substrate Material on the Element Distribution, Microstructure and Hardness of Gas Metal Arc Welding Hardfaced Layers

“…The surfacing processes using high energy density welding processes are being considered recently as well, like plasma transfer arc (PTA) [17,18] or laser cladding (LS) [19,20]. The powder-based surfacing processes show quite important advancement in terms of feedstock materials, where the complex composite materials can be applied [21,22]. The latest studies show also the attempts at using additive manufacturing approaches for local and precise die remanufacturing, mainly by directed energy deposition (DED) processes, like laser metal deposition [23][24][25] or wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) [26].…”

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“…The literature systematically describes the wear behavior and phenomena responsible for the degradation resistance of materials. Overall, wear, corrosion and erosion are the dominant types of engineering material degradation among the broad range of deterioration processes [1][2][3]. Even though the relevant literature [4,5] explains the general factors influencing the resistance of materials, the continuous development of metal-based structure fabrication, processing, treatment technology and surface engineering demands systematic reporting on the advances in the wear properties of metallic and ceramic materials.…”

Subzero temperatures and low-frequency impact on MFC piezoelectric transducers for wireless sensor applications

“…Smart composite materials, due to their potential for use as alternative energy sources and in autonomous wireless sensor systems, are becoming increasingly popular. The rising adoption of composite materials across various industrial sectors is driven by their versatile applications and potential benefits [2][3][4][5][6]. One such material is Macro Fiber Composite (MFC), which combines the advantageous properties of fiber and piezoelectric materials.…”