Scientists from Höganäs in Sweden and in Johnstown, Pa., reported on the results of an investigation in Abrasive Wear of Carbide Weld Overlays for Ground Engaging Tools, a presentation at the ITSC 2018 conference in May.
Carbide weld overlays are a proven remedy against abrasive wear for ground engaging-components such as those in offshore, oil and gas, mining, agriculture, and construction industries. A large number of the components are overlay-welded by using PTA or laser cladding technology and nickel alloy/tungsten carbide powder mixes with 40 to 60% carbides. The overlays commonly achieve thickness between 4 and 10 mm3 in abrasive wear according to ASTM G65 – Procedure A testing. This wear range is an illustration of how the abrasive wear can vary depending on welding parameters and practices, powder mix properties, and other factors.
This investigation focuses on how the welding parameters affect the abrasive wear of the carbide overlay welds. The investigation is run as a round-robin test trial where a nickel alloy/carbide powder mix and a structural plain carbon steel blank were delivered to a number of overlay welding workshops for overlay welding according to their best practice. The sample overlays were then ground, ASTM G65 abrasive-wear tested, and metallographically investigated. The test results ranked the test samples in respect to wear and microstructure.
Dr. Senad Dizdar , Höganäs AB, Höganäs, Sweden
Mr. Martin Lohrman, North American Höganäs, Johnstown, PA
