The effects of welding processes on abrasive wear resistance for hardfacing deposits

In this research, four kinds of welding deposits were evaluated, applied through two different welding processes: flux cored arc welding (FCAW) and shielded metal arc welding (SMAW). The other variable of the tests was the deposited layers. The hardfacing deposits were evaluated using the dry sand-rubber wheel machine according to procedure A of the ASTM G65 standard. Optical and scanning electron microscopy was used for the characterization of the microstructure and worn surface of deposits. FCAW welds presented higher abrasive wear resistance than the SMAW deposits. The hardfacing deposit formed by uniformly distributed carbides rich in titanium presented the highest abrasive wear resistance. Abrasive wear resistance was higher when three layers were applied, except for SMAW-D deposit. It was not possible to get a clear relation between hardness and the abrasive wear resistance of the deposits. The results showed that the most important variable to improve abrasion resistance is the microstructure of hardfacing deposits, where the carbides act as barriers to abrasive particle cutting.