Features of the carbo-vibroarc surfacing in the development of multicomponent cermet wear-resistant coatings

Abstract The paper presents a simple and economical method of carbovibro-arc surfacing of metal surfaces. This method has been used to apply wear-resistant cermet coatings made of multicomponent pastes 21.17Fe–4.75C–33.48Cr–1.45Si–1.35B–2.8Mn with the addition of 25 wt% В4С and 10 wt% Na3AlF6 on a steel substrate. The microstructure and phase composition of the cermet coating have been studied, and the distribution of microhardness from its surface to the metal substrate has been determined. It has been found that the main zone of the coating consists of the CrFe4 and B0.7Fe3C0.3 strengthening phases located in the matrix, which is a solid solution of C, B, Cr, and Mn in iron. Tribological tests of samples with and without the protective cermet coating have been carried out by the measuring sliding method; 2D and 3D images of the surfaces of wear grooves have been obtained. It has been found that coated samples have a 2 times lower coefficient of friction and 2.8 times higher wear resistance than uncoated samples. Protective cermet coatings have been applied to commercial parts of agricultural machinery (shins). Comparative tests of shins with protective coatings and uncoated commercial shins have been carried out in real field conditions. It has been found that the service life of parts with the developed cermet coating is 2.5–3 times higher than that of uncoated commercial parts. It is shown that this technology allows one to reduce soil contamination with metal debris and increase the performance of combines.