Abstrakt: |
In the present investigation, wear-resistant NiFeCuAlCr high entropy alloy claddings were developed on a 1045 steel substrate using the tungsten inert gas welding process. The welding process parameters, such as current and torch scanning speed, were varied to study the effect of heat input on the microstructure and wear properties of the cladding. The wear behaviour of cladding was examined using a pin-on-disc wear tribometer at room temperature. The XRD, FE-SEM, optical microscopy and EDS analyses were performed to characterize the claddings. The S1 cladding fabricated with a welding current of 90 A and torch speed of 150 mm/min exhibited microhardness and weight loss of 702.4 HV0.3 and 7.9 mg, respectively. Whereas, the S7 cladding developed using the current of 110 A and torch speed of 150 mm/min showed microhardness and weight loss of 617.8 HV0.3 and 24.3 mg, respectively. The S1 cladding exhibited a dense equiaxed-grained microstructure with a small heated affected zone of 14.45 mm2 owing to minimum heat input. However, the S7 cladding showed a coarse columnar grain structure and a large heated affected zone of 27.80 mm2 due to the higher heat input. The equiatomic composition claddings developed at different parametric settings showed 2.14-6.60 times improved wear resistance compared to the substrate due to fine-grain microstructure and high hardness. Microstructural investigation of the worn-out surfaces revealed the presence of wear debris, minor deeper groves, and shallow groves in S1 cladding due to the abrasion. In contrast, the S7 cladding showed micro-cracking, severe plastic deformation, and voids formation due to the combined abrasion and adhesive wear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |