A Comparative Study of Hardfacing Deposits Using a Modified Tribological Testing Strategy

In this study, hardfacing deposits using materials of different surface hardness are investigated using an innovative strategy for tribological testing. The abrasive wear behaviour of AISI 316L stainless steel is compared to the Cr–Ni–Mn alloy (OK Autrod 16.95) and the Cr-Mo alloy (Fluxofil 58), deposited on a substrate of S355JR steel. A modified three-body abrasion test and a modified scratch test were used to evaluate the tribological behaviour and wear mechanisms of these materials. The modified double-pass scratch test on the abraded surfaces is analysed using the geometrical parameters of grooves to aid in predicting the lifetime of machinery parts in abrasive working conditions. This leads to a shortening of the resistance to abrasion wear time of the evaluation of the abrasion wear resistance of materials. The validation of the results obtained in the double-pass scratch tests was carried out using three-body abrasion tests, according to the ASTM G65 standard. Wear mechanism investigations were carried out by scanning electron microscopy and three-dimensional surface topography and was analysed using an optical microscope. The results obtained from experimental research show that double-pass scratch tests demonstrated that it is possible to shorten the time needed to predict the abrasive behaviour of materials using this method.