Build Up and Hardfacing

Building up consists of making weld deposits on degraded or worn functional surfaces to restore their dimensions and reconstitute their profiles. In order to do so, alloys of similar or higher performance characteristics compared to the base metals are often used.

In contrast to building up, hardfacing is a welding operation that consists of depositing hard-surface layers on the functional surfaces of components or mechanical parts. The aim is to modify the surface properties and thereby enhance their performance against different forms of wear: friction or metal-to-metal wear, abrasion, impacts, erosion, cavitation, corrosion wear, etc. Nevertheless, it should be noted that the wear is often caused by several deterioration mechanisms acting concurrently, such as abrasion-impacts, erosion-cavitation, etc.

The filler materials used for build up and hardfacing are typically more highly alloyed or of a different chemical composition than the base metals. These filler materials include alloy steels, martensitic stainless steels, austenitic manganese steels, cobalt alloys (Stellite®), nickel-based alloys, tungsten carbides, high-chromium white cast irons, etc. Choosing an adequate filler material for a given application depends on several factors, including the type of base metal, the type of wear, the working environment (heat or corrosion), the cost, etc. Hardfacing significantly prolongs the life of the wear parts and optimizes the cost of repairs and maintenance.

Contact our metallurgistes, to get the right alloy for your build-up or hardfacing project.


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