Effects of surface alloying on microstructure and wear behavior of ductile iron surface-modified with a nickel-based alloy using shielded metal arc welding

In this study, the effect of surface alloying on the microstructure and wear behavior of ductile iron was studied. In this regard, ductile iron samples were coated by single and double pass welds of a nickel-based electrode (ENiCrFe3) using shielded metal arc welding. The effects of number of passes on microstructure, hardness and wear resistance of cladded layers were investigated. Optical microscopy and X-ray diffractometry were used to identify the microstructure and phase composition of cladded layers and interfaces. The results revealed that cladded layers consist of austenite (Fe, C), γ(Fe, Ni) and small quantities of carbides such as Cr7C3. It was also found that the hardness of the cladded layers was higher than that of substrate. In samples processed with a single and double passes, hardness reached up to 500 and 450 HV, respectively. Pin-on-plate wear tests showed that the wear mechanism is predominantly delamination in the cladded layers and substrate.