Performance analysis of friction surfacing

Performance criteria regarding the material deposition rate and energy consumption per unit of deposited mass were established for the characterization of friction surfacing. These criteria were tested in the friction surfacing of mild steel, for a range of process parameters. The influence of forging force. consumable tilt angle, travel and rotation speeds on interfacial bond properties and process efficiency were investigated. Coatings were examined by optical microscopy, image processing techniques and hardness testing. The applied load on the consumable rod was found to be essential to improve joining efficiency and to increase the deposition rate. Higher rotation or travel speeds were detrimental for the joining efficiency. Tilting the consumable rod along the travel direction proved to improve the joining efficiency up to 5%. For the testing conditions under study, the material loss in flashes represented about 40-60% of the total rod consumed, while unbonded regions were reduced to 8% of the effective coating section. Friction surfacing was seen to require mechanical work between 2.5 and 5 kJ/g of deposited coating with deposition rates of 0.5-1.6 g/s. Deposition rates are higher than for laser cladding or plasma arc welding with a specific energy consumption lower than for other cladding processes. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.