Utilization of Elazig ferrochrome slag to produce submerged arc welding powders for hardfacing coatings

In this study, submerged arc welding powders with sixteen (16) different compositions were produced to obtain hardfacing coatings. Welding powders obtained were composed of ferrochromium slag, iron-based ferro-alloys, ceramic-based compounds and binder. Hardfacing coatings were formed with an increasing amount of ferrochrome; ferrochrome-ferroboron, ferroniobium-ferroboron and ferrotitanium-ferroboron into the hardfacing powder. Hardfacing with prepared flux were carried out on AISI 1020 by using SAW machine. After the hardfacing process, specimen extracted from coating zone was subjected to microstructural analysis, hardness and abrasive wear tests. As a result of the experiments, submerged arc welding flux were produced using an Elazığ ferrochromium slag. It was observed that there is a microstructural transformation, hardness increase and wear loss decrease with the products obtained with an increasing amount of ferrochrome, ferrochrome-ferroboron, ferroniobium-ferroboron and ferrotitanium-ferroboron in flux. The highest hardness and the lowest abrasion wear loss values were obtained from the samples, which contains the highest amount of ferro alloys in powder group. However, some difficulties for slag removed have been observed for the powders produced, which contains high amount ferro alloys. Finally, it was demonstrated that submerged arc welding powders can be produced using slag wastes and hardfacing coating can be successfully carried out with the addition of ferro alloys to the welding powders.