Development of alloys with high impact and abrasion resistance for wear-resistant weld overlays

The objective of the work performed was the development of alloys for weld surfacing which have high hard material contents, exhibit the high ductility and work-hardening capacity of the austenitic manganese steel and thus possess excellent resistance to a combination of abrasive and impact loads. Since the work-hardening capacity of austenitic manganese steel essentially depends on the ratio of the manganese content to the carbon content, the aim was to optimise the contents of these alloying elements in the matrix of the finished coating. The hard material content was maximised with regard to the highest possible abrasion resistance taking into account the metallurgical limits of the melt atomisation process applied for powder production. The newly developed alloys which are based on austenitic manganese steel and contain VC (vanadium carbide) exhibit abrasion wear resistance comparable with those of harder and less tough weld-surfaced hard alloys. At the same time, the highly ductile alloy matrix leads to the best wear resistance under impact load simulated in the shock wear test. Manufacturers and users are thus being provided with a technically and economically feasible material solution for weld surfacing. Therefore it is possible to manufacture wear-protective coatings with substantially improved resistance to combined abrasion and impact wear in comparison with established wear protection materials.