Determination of wear resistance of nickel-carbide alloy coating by atmospheric plasma spray technique on 30MnB5 alloy steel used in cultivator blades

Abstract

The wear that occurs during tillage in agricultural machinery shortens the material’s life and increases costs. This study investigated the microstructure and morphology of cultivator blades coated with atmospheric plasma spray (APS) process and tested under real field conditions using OM, SEM, EDX, and XRD techniques. Abrasion tests were conducted in an area of 110 hectares and under two different soil moisture conditions. Material properties were investigated using hardness and surface roughness tests. The coating process was successful both mechanically and metallurgically by applying Ni-WC ceramic-metal (cermet) powder on the surface of 30MnB5 steel substrate with APS. The oxide and carbide structures detected on the coating surface by XRD studies resulted in a 1.5 times higher coating hardness. Due to the hard carbide phases in the coating matrix, the grooves on the wear surfaces were shallow and narrow compared to the substrate sample. The surface roughness values of the coated sample were approximately two times higher than the substrate sample. Due to the microstructure and high hardness, the coated specimen experienced three times less abrasion in both humidity conditions. The APS method can be successfully applied to the machined parts of tillage machines. In the near future, the cost of agricultural production can be reduced, and the environment can benefit from this method. In conclusion, this study presents a feasible approach to improving the wear resistance of Ni-WC ceramic-metal alloy by plasma spray coating under real field conditions.