Surfacing Technologies for Composite Layers Reinforced with Tungsten Carbide Particles: A Review

Composite layers consisting of a metal matrix reinforced with tungsten carbide particles provide very high resistance to abrasive wear. However, tungsten carbide particles are exposed to the intense effect of the heat source during surfacing, which leads to their degradation and non-uniform distribution in the overlay weld, while the deposition rate is low and the cost of the process is high. Existing articles cover only selected processes and do not address commercial filler materials or the effect of multiple process conditions on the tungsten carbide content in the overlay weld. The article presents a review of industrially used technologies for the deposition of composite layers with tungsten carbide, including oxyfuel gas surfacing, manual metal arc surfacing, flux-cored arc surfacing, tungsten inert-gas surfacing, plasma surfacing, and laser surfacing. This review includes a description of the properties of the available filler materials, the effect of deposition process conditions on the content of tungsten carbide particles in the overlay weld, and potential directions for the development of technologies for depositing composite layers. The article is based on available literature data, information materials provided by manufacturers of filler materials, and the authors’ industrial experience.