The Effects of Carbide Characteristics on the Performance of Tungsten Carbide-Based Composite Overlays, Deposited by Plasma-Transferred Arc Welding

In Alberta, there are huge quantities of ore processed to remove bitumen from oil sands deposits. The scale of production generates very aggressive tribocorrosive conditions during the mining, extraction, and upgrading processes. It is common to apply tungsten carbide-based composite overlays to improve the reliability and extend service lives of equipment and components. The performance of the applied overlays is largely dependent on the selection of the carbide type and the wear environment. This paper will evaluate overlays containing macrocrystalline, angular eutectic, and spherical eutectic tungsten carbides and discuss the performance of the overlays with a focus on carbide properties and the interactions between the service conditions and the composite material. This discussion will demonstrate how effective selection of protective materials can improve the reliability of oil sands equipment.