Investigation of microstructure and wear properties of coatings made by flux cored wires containing titanium and boron

In this study, four different flux cored wires containing Fe-C-Ti-B were produced for making Fe-based hard facing reinforced with TiB2. Titanium and boron elements in the wires have been changed while other elements were kept constant. Surface of a low carbon steel (SAE 1020) were coated by the manufactured wires using TIG. After deposition, micro structural investigation, hardness measurements, and abrasive wear tests were performed using the samples taken from the coated specimens. From the results of micro structural investigation TiB2 phase was observed in all coatings. As the Ti and B content increased morphology of TiB2 phase was changed from small sized hexagonal and rectangular structures to coarse plate-like structure. Also, hardness increased and mass loss decreased as the Ti and B content increased. Considering the hardness and mass loss it was seen that the optimum results were obtained for the Ti content of 17.2 wt. % and B content of 7.5 B wt. %.Keywords : TiB2, Hardness, Wear, Microstructure