Wear characteristic of wc hardfacing on carbon steel: Effect of weldment current and layer

Abstract

Tungsten carbide (WC) hardfacing is performed to improve the wear resistance and operating life of the carbon steel blade which operates under acidic and abrasive environment. The effect of weldment current and layer number on wear characteristic of WC hardfaced carbon steel are the focus of this study. Different hardfacing welding parameters such as 200 A and 150 A weldment current and 1, 2 and 3 layer numbers are studied in detail. Microstructure and elemental composition are characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Meanwhile, hardness test is performed using micro-Vickers hardness tester. The abrasive slurry wear test is implemented to investigate WC coating wear behaviour. The results revealed that the coating is made up of carbide and non-carbide region. The carbide region has higher hardness compared to non-carbide region. Carbide region has highest W content, while non-carbide region consists of combination of Fe and W. High weldment current and higher number of layers can enhance the wear resistance of WC hardfacing.