Metallurgical Features of Plasma Surfacing with Powder Hard Alloy with Addition of Aluminum Powder

This work reveals that addition of 4–6 wt.% of aluminum powder to the composition of a hard alloy powder provides surfacing of high-quality coatings without pores, cracks, and other defects. At the same time, aluminum is a strong deoxidizer and a nitride forming element, which permits use of nitrogen, compressed air, and hot hydrocarbons instead of argon as transporting gases. It is shown that the use of aluminum powder reduces the loss of alloying elements, increases the hardness of deposited coatings by 3–5 НRС, and also significantly reduces the cost of plasma surfacing due to a reduction in argon consumption.