MODELING OF TIG BASED POWDER CLADDING CHARACTERISTICS

Abstract

Cladding of materials has been done by various methods over the years. GTAW based cladding has been one of the methods used commonly. The technique involves pre-placing of powder on the surface to clad and moving the heat source (welding arc) over the surface. The technique was found to produce good quality clad with ideal adhesion properties. The Hardness values were increased by 3-4 times of the base metal and the Abrasive wear rate of the system was reduced to one third of that of the substrate. It was understood that quality of the Coating layer depends solely on the Operation parameters and it was ideal to develop a Mathematical model that can help in predicting the clad characteristics for each of the conditions. A three factor Full Factorial Design Matrix was developed involving Welding Current, Travel Speed and Powder Density. The clad characteristics in each of the cases acted as base for developing of the mathematical model. Main effects and interaction plots were developed for the input parameter to help in understanding the effects on the system. Sensitivity analysis was performed to analyse the magnitude of impact each of the input variable has on the Clad Width, Clad height and Depth of Penetration. The quality of the bonding and grain sizes were analysed with the SEM and Microstructure analysis.