Microstructure and Abrasive Wear Resistance of Various Alloy Hardfacings for Application on Heavy-Duty Chipper Tools in Forestry Shredding and Mulching Operations

Five different alloy hardfacings on 16MnCr5 grade low-carbon ferritic-pearlitic steel were investigated in terms of their abrasive wear resistance in laboratory testing conditions. The selected hardfacing materials, namely E520 RB, RD 571, LNM 420FM, E DUR 600, and Weartrode 62, were individually deposited onto plain ground-finish surfaces of 10 mm thick steel plate samples. The studied hardfacings were fabricated using several different welding methods and process parameters proposed by their industrial manufacturers. In the present comparative study, the results obtained from laboratory abrasive wear tests of the investigated hardfacings were analyzed and discussed in relation to their microstructure, hardness, and wear mechanism characteristics. Regardless of great variety in microstructure and chemical composition of individual hardfacing materials, the results clearly indicated the governing factor for the wear resistance improvement to be the overall carbon content of the used hardfacing material. Thus it has been shown that the E520 RB hardfacing exhibited the highest abrasive wear resistance thanks to its appropriate hardness and beneficial ledeburite-type eutectic microstructure.