Very rarely is wear attributable to just a single mechanism. More usually a plant operation involves a number of different mechanisms that work simultaneously. When selecting a hardfacing material it is important to consider all the forms of wear involved. For example:

The primary wear mechanism: This is the most obvious type of wear that the component is going to experience, for example abrasion, impacts, metal on metal wear, or wear resulting from heat and/or corrosion.

The secondary wear mechanism: Slightly less apparent, this will have an equally harmful effect if not accounted for. Examples of secondary wear are abrasion following an impact or heat with abrasion when processing a product at temperature.

The finish required: Metallurgical alloys are always going to be a compromise of physical properties, and hardfacing alloys generally play hardness against toughness, that is impact resistance against cracking resistance. Therefore knowing whether your component has to be machinable, or whether stress-relief cracking is acceptable will assist in choosing the best product for you.

• Machinable after welding
• Crack free deposit
• Good abrasion and impact resistance.
  These properties are generally achieved by Air Hardened Alloys
  
• High abrasion resistance
• Readily relief crack check
• Non-machinable
  The requirements can be achieved with Chrome Carbide Alloys
  
• Suitable for 13Mn (Hadfield) Steels
• Resistant to severe impacts
  The requirements are readily met by Work Hardening Alloys

Therefore, when selecting the best material for your hardfacing job, think about the mechanical properties that you are going to want. Corewire consumables can be broadly separated by the most dominant properties of the weld metal. These categories are listed below to help in you selection.

Notes For Enquiries

Selecting the proper surfacing alloy:
1. What is the base material? There are primarily two types:

• Austenitic manganese type ? these materials are generally found where impacts are experienced. They are tough & ductile and work hardens well. Also, they are non-magnetic.
• Carbon and low alloy steels type? These materials are usually found where abrasion or metal-to-metal wear is more prominent. They are easy to Easy to weld, and can be overlayed with martensitic or chrome carbide consumables.

2. What is the primary wear factor?

• Abrasion
• Metal-to-metal
• Corrosion
• Heat

3. What are the secondary wear factors?

• For example, abrasive wear following impacts, as seen on the teeth of a quarrying bucket.

4. What is the required finish?

• Machined
• Ground
• Flame cut
• Heat treated
• Relief check cracks acceptable

5. What is the application?

• Our technical staff has a great deal of experience with a wide range of hardfacing applications, and will be familiar with what is required of a particular component from its application.

6.  What wire diameter is required?

7.  How should the wire be packaged?

• The type of packaging is dependent on the wire type, the diameter and the quantity ordered. Wires are available in the following quantities:
  13kg spools
  25 and 75kg coils
  150 and 300kg pay-off-packs
  200 to 300kg reels.

Using the proper welding procedures
The component and its application will be as significant as the consumable in determining the welding procedure. For example the base material type will determine whether a pre-heat is necessary, plus the hardness & thickness required for the deposit. Our technical staff can help develop a suitable welding procedure as well as advise on suitable consumables. If in any doubt about your current procedure or if this is a new application contact our office giving all the detail you can on the base material and the application.

Other surfacing wires available
Corewire also manufactures gas shielded and submerged arc consumables for applications such as repairing steel mill rolls, or valve surfacing. Again, please contact the office or click the appropriate link if you wish to find out more about these materials.