Effects of Ni-based composite coatings on failure mechanism and wear resistance of cutting picks on coal shearer machine

•In this paper, all cutting tests were carried out on a drum shearer machine and in a real-scale operation, which makes the study much more realistic.•It is confirmed by this research that the NiBSiFeWC coating deposited by laser-cladding technique enhances the wear resistance and mechanical properties of the coal-cutting picks by almost two times.•The applied coating materials and technique are reliably recommended for advanced tools’ developments in mechanized longwall mines. The performability and wear resistance of the cutting picks play an important role in the extraction operation of mining machinery especially drum shearers in longwall coal mines. Tungsten carbide tip fracture and removal, and severe wear of the pick body are the major failures that affect the performance of these picks. The coating could be a proper solution for strengthening the coal-cutting tools and extension of their useful life. In this paper, a Ni-based ultrafine coating, NiBSiFeWC, deposited by laser-cladding technique, has been applied to improve the wear resistance and mechanical properties of the coal-cutting picks. All cutting tests were carried out on a drum shearer machine and on a real-scale operation, which makes the study much more realistic and effectively applicable for advanced tools’ developments in mechanized longwall mines. The archived results show that NiBSiFeWC coating reduced the tool wear rate by about 50%.