DEVELOPMENT AND CHARACTERIZATION OF JET SLURRY EROSION RESISTANT METALLIC CLADDING ON AUSTENITIC STAINLESS STEEL

Abstract

Erosive wear is a very intensive degradation process of surface layers of metallic materials. In order to minimize wear, the cladding of suitable material on poor wear resistant materials is required. Thus, when the surface is subjected to severe tribological loading, it can exhibit to increase in components life. Virtually all metallic, ceramic, and cermets materials can be deposited using different coating/cladding techniques like thermal spraying, HVOF, laser cladding etc. However, these common processes present certain processing defects like interfacial cracks, distortion and poor adhesion strength etc. In order to minimize these problems, microwave energy is used to develop cladding on a functional surface. In the present work the development of composite cladding consisting of chromium carbide (Cr73C6) and tungsten carbide (WC) reinforcement particles in Ni-based (EWAC) matrix and by 80% wt. and 20% wt. respectively on austenitic stainless steel through exposure of microwave radiation of frequency 2.45 GHz has been carried out. Typical cladding cross sections show good metallurgical bonding with substrate by partial dilution of cladding material into the substrate. Back scattered image of clad cross section shows that the reinforced particles are well embedded and uniformly distributed in the Ni matrix. The developed clad has been characterized through X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and Vicker's microhardness. The XRD pattern of the developed clad of Ni-based- Cr23C6 shows the presence of FeNi3, NiSi and Cr23C6 phases, Ni-based- WC shows the presence complex phases in the composite clad containing metallic carbides of chromium, W, and Ni. The XRD patterns confirm presence of free tungsten