Understand The Basics Of Hardfacing

Hardfacing is a welding technique that aims to restore metal parts crucial in many industrial applications to their original form. To achieve this restored state, welders apply a harder metal to an original base metal. Read on to learn more details about this fascinating welding performance.

Hardfacing Steps in When Metals Fail

Hard surfacing, cladding, and surface welding are different terms for the same process - hardfacing. This technique is useful when metal fails due to wear from repeated, consistent abrasion, friction, and impact. Metal components lose their dimension and functionality over time and must be restored.  For example, crusher rollers in mining are subject to intense wear from different ores and minerals.

Sometimes hardfacing on new components prior to use helps them to last even longer.

Hardfacing Serves Several Base Metals

Hardfacing welders layer a durable metal material onto the worn base metal. Sometimes several layers are applied. Electrodes or filler rods fuse this denser, thicker layer with high bond strength. Nearly any kind of worn base metal is appropriate for hardfacing such as cast iron, manganese steel, and stainless steel. Various metal alloys also accept hardfacing like copper-base, nickel-base, and carbon alloy steels.

Hardfacing is Possible via Multiple Processes

Welders can opt for a variety of different weld processes when they prepare to hardface. Examples of some of these processes welders utilize include flux-cored arc welding, open-arc welding, submerged arc welding, and plasma transferred arc welding.

Before hardfacing begins, welders consider several factors before they commit to a process. The availability of equipment, like Lincoln electric equipment, and the size of the power source are the biggest factors. Availability of hardfacing consumables plays a key role in the choice of process. Also taken into consideration is whether the welding location is indoors or outdoors.

Finally, the size, shape, and area of the component to be hardfaced determines which process a welder will favor. So, too, does the desired hardface finish and deposition rate.

Hardfacing Produces Many Benefits

Because hardfacing restores and strengthens a worn base metal component, overall operating and maintenance costs decrease.  Hardfacing results in fewer instances of replacement parts and downtime. Production efficiency in a given industry is restored. Hardfacing gives managers and owners the ability to use components with less expensive base metals during production.

Welders that employ hardfacing can use their skill and equipment to help machinery run more efficiently despite abrasive wear, impact wear, heat, and corrosion common in many industries.

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