Microstructure and wear resistance of in-situ TiC reinforced Stellite 6 coating using PTA cladding

Abstract

To enhance the durability of copper tuyeres in blast furnaces, it is necessary to apply coatings on their surfaces to protect against wear caused by high-temperature coke. In this study, a series of in-situ synthetic TiC-reinforced Stellite 6 alloy coatings containing a Ni60A interlayer were successfully produced on copper substrates using 5–45 wt% TiFe/Cr3C2 precursor powders. The coatings exhibited excellent metallurgical bonding with the Ni60A interlayer, and an elemental transition zone was formed at the interface between the coating and the interlayer. XRD Rietveld refinement analysis revealed that the T45 coating with 45 wt% of precursor powder showed the highest TiC phase content of 12.27 %, with an average hardness of 658.15 HV0.2, which was 31.2 % higher than that of the Stellite 6 alloy. The wear mechanism of the Stellite 6 coating was plastic delamination at 25 °C, and oxidative wear at 500 °C. As the TiC particle content in the coating increased, the dominant wear mechanism tended to shift towards abrasive wear. The specific wear mechanism of the coating was influenced by the content of coating phases and the operating temperature. The best wear resistance was achieved by the T45 coating, which showed an abrasive wear mechanism at both 25 °C and 500 °C, with a wear resistance of 4.47 and 5.94 times higher than that of the Stellite 6 alloy respectively.