Combined effects on Fe-Cr-C hardfacing deposited by new technique FCDW-GTAW

Abstract

The hardfacing deposition with the GTAW process is widely studied with the addition of metallic powder or solid wire. This study introduces an original method, flux-cored-double-wire GTAW (FCDW-GTAW), where wires of different compositions are used simultaneously to deposit hardfacing. Because of the complexity in stabilizing the welding system, the combined effects of welding parameters should be investigated, allowing elaborate prediction models for the geometry and dilution of the deposits. These aspects are crucial for the target application, wear-resistant layers based on Fe-Cr-C composition, requiring a low-level of dilution and bead-geometry quality. Five parameters were chosen to model the deposition: the welding current, welding speed, standoff distance, torch angle, and wire feed pulse frequency. Therefore, using Response Surface Methodology with five factors at five levels to plan the experiments, thirty-two deposition conditions were necessary to model responses. Complete and reduced models were presented for width, reinforcement, penetration, and dilution responses. The reduced models showed a better prediction than the complete ones. The welding parameters‟ interaction was identified for the reduced models, where the welding current and speed were influential in all responses. Results showed the possibility of obtaining good quality in the beads applying the FCDW-GTAW technique.

Keywords: GTAW, double-wire, geometry, dilution, DOE-RSM.