Hardfacing

From GAWDAwiki

Hardfacing, or hardsurfacing, is a process in which buildup or wear-resistant weld metals are applied to the surface of a part by means of welding or joining. It is done to avoid wearing, which may cause metals to lose dimension and functionality.

Hardfacing is commonly done to metal edges that scrape or crush other tough materials. For example, the blade of a road grader.^[2]

Base Metals Used

Hardfacing may be used with carbon and low-alloy steels featuring carbon contents of less than one percent. Special buffer layers may be required for high-carbon alloys. The following base metals may be hardfaced.

• Stainless steels
• Manganese steels
• Cast irons and steels
• Nickel-base alloys
• Copper-base alloys

Welding Techniques Used

The following welding techniques may be used for hardfacing, listed in approximate order of popularity.

• Flux-cored arc welding (FCAW)
• Gas metal arc welding (GMAW)
• Shielded metal arc welding (SMAW)
• Submerged arc welding (SAW)
• Gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW)
• Oxyfuel welding (OFW) or oxyacetylene welding^[1]

References

1. http://www.thefabricator.com/CuttingWeldPrep/CuttingWeldPrep_Article.cfm?ID=1065
2. http://www.weldinginfocenter.org/basics/ba_07.html