Comparative study of the wear resistance of three metal-fluxed core wire-welded coatings used in industry

Abstract

Metal alloys deposited by welding on the surface of components with the objective of protection against wear and resulting in an increase in the lifetime of parts and equipment have been used extensively in the consumer products industry and sectors of mining and sugar–ethanol. The abrasive wear on parts and equipment represents one of the main depreciation factors of capital and the major cause of expenditure of maintenance in industries. To apply coating by welding, fluxed core wire has been a viable alternative because of its high productivity and high-weld quality, replacing in part the use of the stick electrode. The objective of this paper is to make a comparative study of the abrasive wear-resistant coating deposited by welding with self-shielded fluxed core wires of three metal alloys used in industry, firstly Fe–Cr–Co alloy, secondly Fe–Cr–C alloy with niobium and boron addition[s], and thirdly Fe–Cr–C with niobium addition. Wear-resistant coatings, known as hardfacing, were deposited on carbon steel plates with the same welding parameters and procedures. Samples were obtained by cutting and grinding, and were subjected to abrasive wear tests in a Rubber Wheel apparatus according to the procedure established by ASTM G65-91. The results showed that Fe–Cr–C alloy with niobium and boron addition[s] (presented superiority in terms of wear resistance) was superior in terms of resistance to wear.