Wear on overlay welded HCWI vs. quenched and tempered low alloyed carbon steels evaluated with granite in a laboratory drum test machine

This present test evaluates wear resistance of overlay welded High Chromium White Iron (HCWI) in comparison with quenched and tempered low alloyed carbon steels within a hardness range between 400 and 700 HBW. The HCWI overlay material had a carbon content in the range of 3-5% and a chromium content of 20-25%. The wear performance was evaluated by the use of two different sizes of granite rocks. This test was undertaken in a laboratory drum machine, which aimed to resemble typical conditions expected within raw material flows in mines and quarries. The secondary aim of the investigation was to further evaluate the material selection process by comparing ore, residuals and aggregates from real-world mining sites with the respective wear resistant materials being employed. The drum machine used had a diameter of 800 mm and a width of 100 mm. The drum rotated on a horizontal axle, which lifted the aggregate to a certain height, thus creating a sliding motion. Each test evaluated 34 samples, attached at the inner side of the drum shell. The samples were installed inside a depressed holder to protect against unwanted edge wear. The holders were specifically designed to fit hard materials such as HCWI. The HCWI overlay material was ground flat at the top and cracks were sealed with epoxy. The experimental results demonstrated how different size of abrasives resulted in significantly different wear responses on the tested materials and that the developed test method can provide valuable information in the selection of wear resistant material.